Munkfors: Industrial History and Nature

The 17-metre-high Munkforsen is the tallest natural waterfall on the Klarälven and is located in Bruksparken in Munkfors. Industrial history is also a defining theme here: museums, public art and traces of former industrial sites offer different perspectives on it. The municipality also has hiking trails, natural areas, and opportunities for fishing and cycling.

Industrial History and Museums

The museums at Gamla bruket take visitors through the industrial history and display historical models and scale models of industrial facilities. The industrial site dates back to the 17th century. Museum topics include Sweden’s first open-hearth furnace and the development of the iron industry. The Fire Brigade Museum displays a magnificent horse-drawn steam fire engine; the Tool Museum houses a unique collection of iron stamps.

Lilla bruket has a model museum and a chapel with furnishings from the former Methodist church, described as Munkfors’s first church. Laxholmen Kulturhus is an art museum next to Munkforsen. Its permanent exhibition includes sculptures donated by Bo Englund, an artist born in Munkfors. The Kulturhus is about one kilometre from the centre of Munkfors and is signposted from Riksväg 62.

Contemporary art and industrial history also meet in Bruksparken: a legal graffiti wall stands beside the ruins of the former cold-rolling mill. The mill operated from the beginning of the 20th century until 1964. Two more large murals were painted by two British artists in the summer of 2017 as part of the Artscape Värmland – White Moose Project. In Munkfors’s old industrial area, the Fridolf-Rhudin Museum presents an exhibition about Fridolf Rhudin’s life and career.

Waterfall, Trails and Nature

If you want to experience Munkforsen up close, take its seasonal restriction into account: on certain summer days, you can view the waterfall from just a few metres away. For walks and hikes, Munkfors Municipality offers 17 trails with varying terrain, lengths and difficulty levels. Check each trail description to choose a route that suits the distance you have in mind.

The municipal Hästskoholmen nature reserve brings together riverbanks, parkland, deciduous forest and pine heath. It has a trail, a bathing spot and barbecue areas. For cycling, the Klarälvsbanan offers a 90-kilometre-long, car-free nature route on asphalt between Karlstad in the south and Hagfors in the north. Within the municipality, it runs east of the Klarälven and passes through Ransäter, Blia, Centrum and Heden, among other places.

Activities for Different Interests

The Munkis Story Trail in the Gamla bruket area is an accessible trail with activity signs that combines exercise and discovery. It is particularly suitable for younger children accompanied by an adult. At the disc golf course in Munkfors, the course map and an information board are located at the starting point beside the car park at Munkfors Arena. The course is one kilometre long, runs through woodland and is located by the illuminated circular trail.

Forsnäsbadet offers swimming lessons, family recreation in heated water and pool training. There are several fishing waters in the municipality, open to everyone with the appropriate fishing licence. On the Klarälven, in the area around Munkfors, you can fish for grayling, trout, perch and pike using natural bait, fly-fishing or spinning tackle.

Ransäter is also one of the places you can consider when planning your trip. Nearby, Erlandergården in Ransäter includes a schoolhouse and a memorial home with an exhibition about Tage Erlander’s active life as a politician and prime minister. Munkfors and the surrounding area therefore offer both industrial history and nature and leisure activities to consider.

Discover more destinations: Munkfors, Ransäter, Skoghall, Sunne, Kristinehamn, Brunskog, Grums, Mangskog

For the broader travel overview: Värmland.