Mining and refining ore has been a large and important industry in Jönköping County. In Vetlanda Municipality, there are 42 disused mines and quarries where mining of copper, quartz, zinc, slate and gold, among other things, has occurred.
The Ädelfors Mining and Mineral Museum has housed the so-called Bielke mineral collection since 2001. The collection is named after Count Nils Adam Bielke, president of the mining college from 1782 to 1789. The collection was moved from Stockholm to Ädelfors on Bielke’s initiative in 1789. When the state-owned mining operation at Ädelfors ceased in 1800, the collection was moved the following year to Falun and Stora Kopparbergs Bergslag. After 200 years, it ended up back in Ädelfors.
The beautiful collection, one of the country’s most significant, comprises approximately 7,000 objects distributed over over 5,000 catalogue numbers. The Gustavian cabinets with gilded details that Bielke had made for the purpose were possibly designed by the architect Jean-Eric Rehn.
The Mining Museum is located in the village of Ädelfors, approximately 18 kilometers from Vetlanda, along road 47. The Mining Museum is housed in Stenhuset, an old granary built in grey stone in 1868–69, beautifully situated by the Emån River. The building is classified as a listed building. At the museum you can get information about other mines and quarries in Vetlanda municipality.
