Nobel’s dynamite factory – then and now

We are located in Nobel’s old dynamite factory from 1891. In 1889, a nitric acid warehouse was demolished here to make room for the new factory, which became known colloquially as “Syran” (The Acid). The factory, designed by Belgian engineer Gustaf Delaplace, was completed in 1891 and is now the only factory building remaining in the area.

The longer section of the building was divided into three parts: one part was used for storing coal, another for storing pyrite, and a third part contained furnaces for heating the silica. On the upper floor of the tall section of the building, there were large lead-lined chambers and concentration apparatus for sulfuric acid, an essential component in the production of nitroglycerin. The nitroglycerin was subsequently sent down to the kneading house by the water, where the dynamite mass was hand-pressed and cartridged along the southern shore. The finished dynamite sticks were then wrapped in brown, paraffin-coated paper and packed into one-kilogram boxes for further distribution.

Production began to be phased out in 1914, and in 1920, all explosives manufacturing was moved from Vinterviken to Gyttorp in Västmanland. Vinterviken was retained only for storage and distribution. However, some test explosions and other experiments were conducted until 1988.

After operations ceased completely, the building was left to fall into disrepair. In connection with Stockholm’s status as the European Capital of Culture in 1998, the old “Syran” was renovated and decontaminated by the City of Stockholm to house Skulpturens Hus on the premises for nearly a decade.

Since 2008, Markus Aujalay and Erika Michael have owned and operated Winterviken. They also run the restaurant Tegelbacken in Stockholm City.