Systembolaget, Falun sausage and red paint

Did you know that the delicious Falun sausage, the traditional red paint, and the world-famous alcohol monopoly are Swedish
symbols that originated from the Falun Mine?

Falun red paint

Among the most cherished symbols of Dalarna and Sweden is the striking Falun red paint, famous for its deep red hue, first noted in the 16th century, which was a mark of wealth. By the 18th century production took off and eventually, Falun red paint came to be used by the common man, largely thanks to the color's preserving properties. The raw material for the paint comes from slag products from the Falun Mine. Copper-poor ore produces red clay, which is treated and then boiled to a finished color. The color is not only beautiful to look at but is also environmentally friendly and has a preservative effect on wood.

Falun sausage

The Falun sausage - one of the most Swedish delicacies we have - traces its roots to the bustling Falun Mine. To transport both ore and people up and down the mine, barrels were used that were attached with strong ropes. These ropes were made of ox hide which was both elastic and durable. Remarkably, it took 600 oxen to produce 125 meters of rope, revealing the significant beef that once went into the crafting of this sausage. The rope lasted for a year and a half, which means that there was a lot of beef to use.

During the heyday, many German engineers worked in Falun, but the Germans could also cook and knew how best to salt and smoke the beef to make really good sausage. Although there is no longer beef in the sausage, the tradition of making Falun sausage still lives on today.

Systembolaget

Miners in the region often supported large families, leading to financial strains on women when husbands faced job injuries or, tragically, death. In these cases, widows were permitted to open taverns, which resulted in Elsborg becoming densely populated with such establishments. However, the rise in alcohol consumption in Falun raised concerns, prompting the establishment of Sweden's first alcohol monopoly in the mid-19th century, which banned private sales. All alcohol sales in Falun were regulated and from now on would be done responsibly "in the interests of morality".