Hjälmare kanal

The canal was taken into use in 1639, aimed to transport iron from the Central Swedish Mining District to Stockholm and further abroad.

Plans to extend the canal west of Örebro to Lake Vänern and further to Göta älv were never realized (hilly area).

Instead Göta Canal, located further south and taken into use in 1832, fulfilled the aimed function of connecting the Baltic with the North Sea.

The relocation led to radically decreased maintenance costs and increased reliability.

But the canal's importance diminished in the late 19th century due to competition from rail transport.