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Kind: News, Press Release Music Genre: Classical Categories: History, World, Culture, Arts Published: December 10, 2009

Leufsta Bruk preserves centuries of traditions

In the woods of the northern part of the Uppland province, 150 miles north of Stockholm, 16th and 17th century traditions are well preserved. Leufsta Bruk, now a part of the Tierp county, once was the world's leading center for ironworks. This was the foundation of the wealth and the Swedish superpower, purchased in 1642 by businessman Louis De Geer, who passed it on in his family until 1887. In 1719, however, Russians plundered the town, with only a few buildings surviving the extensive fire. The De Geer family business was reconstructed after a few years. The demand for ironworks experienced a downturn during parts of the 19th century, but the business bloomed again for a brief period in the early 20th century, before being completely shut down. The regional railway, Roslagsbanan, which had its northernmost reach in Leufsta Bruk, ironically opened a few months after the last activity had ended in 1926. Today, Leufsta Bruk has about one-hundred registered residents. The town proudly features a mansion in baroque style, with restaurants, conference amenities and lodging. The invaluable historical site is protected by the Swedish government.

The history of Leufsta Bruk church, located on Västra gatan, goes all the way back to 1615, with major renovations in 1736, 1962 and as recently as 1994. The organ of the church is famous due to performances by many of the world's most notable concert organists. Originally ordered by Charles De Geer in 1726, organ constructor Johan Niclas Cahman built a mechanically driven two-manual, 28-stop pipe organ. Repaired and expanded regularly several times since then, the historical organ was fundamentally replaced in 2006, and after consultation with the Gothenburg Organ Research Association, well-tempered tuning was adopted. Music by Johann Sebastian Bach was, however, recorded by the legendary concert organist Torvald Torén on the historically significant Cahman organ in 1975, making the release an historical document for the organ as well as Leufsta Bruk.

bachorganone.bluemusicgroup.com

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