History

The first part of the name Röfors alludes to border.
The waterfall that was previously in the river was the border between Västmanland and Närke.
It might also have been that the stream looked a little reddish. Possibly was it the kind of rock that is in the ground that made the stream shimmer in red. Hence the name Röfors.

In the middle of the 15th century a waterdriven mill was built here. In those days great amounts of water passed in the river.
Röfors came for the next 250 years to be owned by, in order, the noble families Bonde, Natt och Dag, Leijonhufvud, Bonde and Leijonhufvud again.

1632 the Chancellor Carl Bonde - the present owner of Röfors - got the privilege to build a waterdriven tilt-hammer. Officially the tilt-hammer was built in 1698. The bar-iron that was produced was transported to Stockholm and then onward to England and Germany.

The ironworks lay the foundation of the days of splendour at Röfors that lasted during the 18th and 19th centuries.
During this period a sawmill that was driven by the river was built, and a dairy used the milk from the cows at the farm. During this time Rofors had about 300 employees. All of the workers were not occupied in the ironworks, the mill, the sawmill or the dairy. There was also traditionell farming and forestery that kept the workers busy.

Röfors was like a little village where you could find both a shool and a chapel.

Röfors ironworks stopped in 1861 but the sawmill and the mill was in use for another 50 years.
1914 the the two mills were closed too. The farmers upstream from Röfors wanted more land to farm. This ment that the waterfall had to be burst away. Thereafter there was no more waterpower left to run mills or hammer.