Skultuna mässingsbruk

Skultuna Messingsbruk is a Swedish company founded in 1607 at the bequest of King Karl IX. Skultuna Messingsbruk is located in Skultuna on the outskirts of Västerås. The logotype of Skultuna consists of the closed royal crown, the name "Skultuna" and the founding year "1607".

Early History

In the year 1607, King Karl IX could at last implement his long held plans for a Swedish brass industry. He had a man sent off on the Crown's business to find a suitable location for a brass foundry. The choice fell on Skultuna, where the Svartån brook provided sufficient water power. Charcoal was available here as well, there was a harbor in Västerås and the copper mine at Falun was also close. Skultuna Messingsbruk was founded and the king's decision confirmed in a letter dated 11 February 1607. The work could proceed. The history of the brass foundry During the time of Gustav Wasa and Erik XIV, Sweden had become indebted to the Hanseatic League. Refining copper into brass would reduce imports of brass and increase income from exports. The work was divided up between different workshops, each one supervised by a master craftsman. The early products consisted mainly of brass plate, chandeliers and candlesticks. Some of these are still designs are still in production like the Office Candlestick and Chandeliers. Near the end of the 19th century Skultuna worked closely with the Swedish designer Carl-Hjalmar Norrström who created a number of classic items for Skultuna, among these a baptismal font in brass, copper and silver that won the gold medal at the Stockholm Exhibition in 1897 and the Paris Exhibition in 1900.

Present day

The production in Skultuna is continuing in an unbroken line since 1607, every year about five hundred chandeliers are built, a couple of thousand candlesticks are mounted and polished, thousands of cuff links are packaged and shipped around the world. Skultuna has five different product lines today: Classic, Designer, Cuff Links, Charms and Christmas. Skultuna is working closely together with some of the world’s leading designers like Claesson Koivisto Rune and Thomas Sandell. Among the many strong designers that have worked with Skultuna through the years Sigvard Bernadotte stands out with his timeless modernism. Together with these designers Skultuna.

Skultuna Cuff Links

Skultuna is the market leader of Cuff Links in Sweden. The product range spans over more than 150 different designs, among these are The Crown, The Racer, The Ivy League Collection (with the Skull&Bones and The Lion), The Bomber and the Royal line.

The Official Wedding Series

In 2010 Skultuna was chosen by The Royal Court of Sweden to produce The Official Wedding Series for the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling (Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland). Ten percent of the sales of The Official Wedding Series were donated to Crown Princess Couple’s Wedding Foundation that aims to prevent social isolation and promote good health among children. Skultuna produced The Official Cuff Links and the Official Jewellery for the wedding. Crown Princess Victoria visited Skultuna Skultuna Messingsbruk on the 14th of June 2007 during the 400-year anniversary and inaugurated a bronze memorial plaque of the founder King Karl IX. Skultuna is also Purveyor to the Court of Sweden.

File:Crownprincess Victoria of Sweden Skultuna 2007.jpg

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden with the present managing director Viktor Blomqvist

Tourism & The Factory Shops

Skultuna is one of the most visited tourism attractions in Sweden with over 150 000 visitors each year. In Skultuna tourists can visit the museum, the café and the factory shops that recently have been opened in the old factory buildings. The Factory shops sell products from over twenty Swedish companies such as Skultuna, Orrefors Kosta Boda, Himla, Målerås, Rörstrand and Iittala.

Ownership

Skultuna Messingsbruk is a subsidiary to the Swedish venture capital company Askembla Asset Management since the year 2000. The primary goal of the investment has been to revive and renew the product range and to make the old factories a major tourist attraction in Sweden.

See also

• List of oldest companies

References

• Sigurd Erixon, Skultuna Bruks Historia, part I-II.

External links

• Skultuna Messingsbruk, official website