About us and Fredensborg Manor
Since February 1, 2026, Fredensborg Manor has been run by a local company and local people with a strong commitment to the community and to developing Fredensborg's offerings to both vacationers and companies wishing to hold conferences or other corporate events at Fredensborg.
We have taken over operations from the Swedish Railway Workers' Holiday Home Association (SJS), which has owned and operated the facility since 1912. After ending its 150-year era at Fredensborg, SJS will continue to operate its hotel and holiday resort Hälleviks Havsbad on Listerlandet in Blekinge, not far from Sölvesborg.
The history of Fredensborg and Storebro
In ancient times, Fredensborg belonged to a very large estate, with Storebro at its center (about 3 km from Fredensborg). The estate included a number of outlying farms, such as Tobo, Gissemåla, Sjundekvill, Kvavhult, Åkemåla, and Skällebacka. The current area of Fredensborg was at that time a field called Lindekullet.
Myrmalmen, the water power at the bridge over the Stångån river, and miles of forest
Iron laid the foundation for Storebro, and in ancient times, the Kungsvägen road between Stockholm and Kalmar passed through here. Over the centuries, Swedish royalty has thus passed through Storebro on their way to Kalmar Castle.
Forester Wilhelm Pauli, founder of Storebro Bruk, arrived on Kungsvägen in the early 1700s and saw the bridge over the Stångån River passing Storebro, the potential for hydropower at the bridge, miles of untouched forests for charcoal production, and hundreds of lakes and marshes rich in bog iron ore.
"When you traveled along the old Kungsvägen road by horse-drawn carriage in the mid-18th century, the road was black with coal dust and slag. The air was heavy with sulfur. There were deafening thuds, sounds from water wheels and blowers. You were passing Storebro bruk."
Fredensborg Manor – somewhat grandiose for a cavalry captain
After various ownership changes, the estate was taken over by the Tillberg family in 1856. The estate's administrator in 1875 was Cavalry Captain Axel Tillberg, who that year built Fredensborg Manor House according to architect Hugo Hammarskjöld's designs and subsequently resided there. As far as we know, the name Fredensborg has no particular local connection, but the cavalry captain is said to have thought it sounded peaceful and conveyed the grandeur befitting a cavalry captain.
The Vilohemsföreningen takes over in 1912
Tillberg was succeeded by Major Axel Baltzar Carleson, who moved away in 1910 and sold the large property complex to a forestry company in Oskarshamn. After that, via a short-lived private owner, Fredensborg passed into the ownership of the then Vilohemsföreningen (Rest Home Association), now the Swedish Railway Workers' Holiday Home Association, in 1912. Read more about the history of Fredensborg.
Storebro – more than ironworks, wood-burning stoves, and machine tools
In addition to the ironworks, which over time developed into a well-known manufacturing industry producing wood-burning stoves, lathes, milling machines, and drills, Storebro also became very famous for its boats. During the latter part of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century , Storebro Royal Cruiser sold luxury boats all over the world, and even our king spent his time on the lake in a Storebro boat for many years.
Estonian boatbuilding became world-famous boats
Can you imagine – the history of Storebro's luxury boats began at Fredensborg. Estonian boatbuilders who fled across the Baltic Sea after World War II found refuge at Fredensborg. As a thank you for the hospitality, the Estonians built some rowing boats for the manor house at Fredensborg's lodge.
Ivar Gustavsson – factory manager and entrepreneur
When the owner of Örnmaskiner, Ivar Gustavsson – who later also became the manager and owner of Storebro Bruks – passed Fredensborg during his usual Sunday walk with his wife Ebba, the highly entrepreneurial manager realized that there was a boat business within reach. No sooner said than done, manager Gustavsson returned to Fredensborg and offered the Estonians employment as boat builders, and the rest is history, ending with the sale of luxury boats all over the world.
Tips for those interested in local history
Visit the Bruksmuseum in Storebro, which tells the story of the industrial community, the ironworks, the machine tools, and the world-famous Storebro boats.
You can also visit the magnificent ironworks manor house and smithies – the home of the ironworks owners and the workers' quarters, beautifully situated right next to the bridge over the Stångån river.
Aerial photo of Storebro in the old days (year unknown). The ironworks manor house can be seen in the upper left part of the picture, along with the smithies next to the bridge over the Stångån River and the old watermill, which today houses the Ironworks Museum. The Stångån is one of the few rivers in the country that turns from a southerly direction and flows northward. In Storebro, the Stångån River turns and flows north towards Linköping via the lakes Krön and Juttern, among others. Photo: Vimmerby Municipality image archive