Travelling in the footsteps of Nobel - Winter Bay, Georgia, Tallinn

We've been travelling in the footsteps of Nobel. A bit of a coincidence actually. We ended up at the Nobel Museum in Georgia, and soon after we discovered the Noblessner area in Tallinn. At the weekend, our friends took us to Vinterviken in Stockholm, where Alfred Nobel had his factory.

Tweet

Share

Share

Pin

Share

Share

Alfred Nobel and his brothers

Alfred Nobel is known for his invention of the dynamite, which made nitroglycerine much more manageable. He is perhaps even more famous for the Nobel Prize, which is considered to be the most prestigious honour one can receive in the respective fields.

Alfred also had several brothers. The younger brother, Emil, died in an explosive accident in the family factory. The two older brothers, Robert and Ludvig, had successful careers of their own in Russia.

Maybe you have seen the TV series The Nobel Brothers on svt Play? If not, we highly recommend watching it! You'll be travelling in Nobel's footsteps, at home on your TV couch.

Travelling in the footsteps of Nobel

Our journey in Nobel's footsteps actually started in Georgia, when we ended up at the museum Nobel Brothers Batumi Technological Museum in the city of Batumi on the Black Sea. But we're going to start at the other end, at Vinterviken in Stockholm, which we visited this weekend, together with our friends Lennart and Beata.

1. Vinterviken, Stockholm

Vinterviken is a deep bay in Lake Mälaren, found in the Aspudden neighbourhood south of central Stockholm, not far from Gröndal.

In 1865, the whole area was bought by Alfred Nobel. He moved his operations here from Heleneborg on Södermalm, as it was too dangerous to have his dynamite testing operations so close to the public. In Vinterviken, he found a perfectly sheltered location: a narrow valley surrounded by high mountains, directly adjacent to Lake Mälaren.

During the first year in Winter Bay, 16,000 kg of nitroglycerine were produced. The following year, the epoch-making invention of dynamite was introduced. Despite the fact that dynamite was easier to handle, serious blasting accidents occurred in 1868 and 1874. To minimise the risks, each stage was given its own building surrounded by protective walls. Today, these blast pits are protected by law as an ancient monument.

Vinterviken is still dominated by Alfred Nobel's various establishments, and the historic buildings are today K-labelled. Among other things, Winterviken Café is located here, with a café, lunch, conference and banqueting hall.

Vinterviken is also a popular destination for nature, walking trails and the long, beautiful bathing jetty, where there is also a sauna. Quite simply, a great destination for an excursion!

2. The Nobel Museum in Batumi, Georgia

Alfred Nobel had two brothers, Robert and Ludvig. Together they started the Russian oil company Branobel. The oil was extracted in Baku in present-day Azerbaijan and transported - first by train and later by pipeline - to Batumi in present-day Azerbaijan. Georgiawhere it could be shipped to Europe.

During our recent trip to Georgia, we visited Batumi, which turned out to be a fascinating city on the Black Sea, full of skyscrapers, casinos and holiday activities. Here you can enjoy a subtropical climate, beautiful beaches, lovely parks and plenty of good food. Georgian food.

If you want to travel in the footsteps of Nobel, you can visit the museum called Nobel Brothers Batumi Technological Museum. Here you can learn more about the history of the empire built by Robert and Louis, partly with the financial help of his brother Alfred.

The museum is relatively small and simple, but as a Swede it is fascinating to come here. The Swedish brothers arranged for oil to be sent from Baku to Batumi via pipelines. From Batumi, the oil was sent by ship to the west of Europe. The brothers' entrepreneurship contributed greatly to the development of the region, which is why they are so important in local history.

3. Noblessner in Tallinn, Estonia

Shortly after our trip to Georgia, we visited Tallinn in Estonia, where we travelled to the Noblessner port area.

The name Noblessner is a fusion of Nobel and Lessner. The name comes from the two businessmen who once ran a shipyard here: Emanuel Nobel (son of Ludvig Nobel and nephew of Alfred Nobel) and Arthur Lessner. And this was not just any shipyard! This was once the largest submarine shipyard in the Russian Empire here, and between 1912 and 1917, no less than 12 modern submarines were built in the area.

Today, this area is filled with modern buildings, shops, restaurants and museums. Among other things, you will find PROTO Invention Factory here, as well as the Kai Art Centre, the interior design shop Shishi, Sauna park Igloo park and renowned restaurants such as Lore Bistro and 180°, the latter of which has two stars in the Michelin Guide.

Travelling in the footsteps of Nobel - more places

Do you also want to travel in the footsteps of Nobel? You can visit the places we have listed, but there are also other places to discover such as:

• Azerbaijan is the country where Alfred's brother Robert discovered he could make a business out of its oil.
• Båstad has links to Nobel because Ludvig Nobel, nephew of Alfred, wanted to make Båstad a major tourist centre.
• Heleneborg on Södermalm in Stockholm was used for experiments before Vinterviken, and it was here that his brother Emil Nobel died in the 'Nobel Blast'.
• Karlskoga Alfred Nobel's Björkborn, which was his summer home in his last years, is now a museum with guided tours.
• Concert Hall in Stockholm is where the Nobel Prize ceremony takes place every year.
• Nobel Prize Museum, in Stockholm, talks about the Nobel Prize.
• Restaurant Stadshuskällaren, in Stockholm, serves the Nobel Menu.
• St Petersburg, in Russia, was for a long time the home and workplace of Immanuel Nobel and his sons: Robert, Ludvig and Alfred.
• Technical Museum in Stockholm talks about science and inventions.

You might also like:

Discovering art in the Sistine Chapel

The advantages of choosing last minute Bohusläns museum in Uddevalla - an interesting visit Travelling to Asia - 10 great destinations Rammelsberg Mine - a Unesco World Heritage Site in Goslar Christmas markets in Europe - 12 cosy markets at Christmas time