Gislaveds Industrimuseum is a unique industrial museum in Sweden. We specialise in rubber, plastic, leather, glass, iron and much more. We have various exhibitions and show objects from the industrial history and heritage.
We started collecting objects and pictures in 1995. In August 1998 the museum was founded and opened as a non-profit organisation in a former belt factory in the city centre of Gislaved.
Smålands museum at the river Nissan
Gislaved has long been an important place in the Västbo region of Småland, where the river Nissan flows through. The industrial museum is located next to a waterfall in the Nissan where electric power is produced today. The museum takes you to some remarkable developments where Gislaved plays a prominent role.
Relive in the museum many objects that were part of everyday life a few decades ago. For those who have roots in Gislaved, there are many pictures from the past, both buildings and people. A part of Sweden’s heritage as an industrial nation, both large and small, is gathered here.
Industrial heritage and history
The building, located at Danska vägen 13 in Gislaved, was built in the 1930s and replaced an earlier wooden building on the same site. In the belt factory, leather drive belts for power transmission were manufactured since 1893. The leather was imported from Argentina and tanned in the belt factory. The working environment was therefore wet, dirty and smelly. Production ceased in 1955. Since then, Gummifabriken has used the belt factory to manufacture several different products.
Guides in English, Danish and German
If you visit our museum, you can take one of our hand-outs in English, Danish or German. That way, you can still experience our museum if you do not speak Swedish. You are warmly welcome for a visit!