The “Topoteket ArkivCentrum Örebro län” now offers an insight into the archive’s extensive collection of photographs, which reflects the local history of the county.
Orebro [œrəˈbruː] is a town in the Swedish county of Orebro län and the historical province of Närke. The town originated in the Middle Ages as a port for the iron trade. In 1854, it was burnt to the ground and subsequently rebuilt in stone.
In the 19th century, Orebro became the centre of shoe production in Sweden, until the decline of the shoe industry in the 1960s. In addition, there was a paper mill and a grain mill as local employers. Photographs depicting working life at these businesses can be found in the Örebro Topothek, alongside insights into social life.
Numerous portrait photographs provide an insight into the clothing, furniture and furnishings in this Swedish community over 100 years ago. And they demonstrate that, even in Sweden in the 1920s, people hardly ever smiled in photographs.