Stone Bridge and Malax River

Malax River flows for about 11 kilometers from the eastern border of the municipality to Åminne. It has been an important transportation route, and its small rapids were utilized by flour mills and sawmills. Today, Långfors Mill stands as a historically significant monument for all the mills that once lined the river. The road from the church to the other side of the river leading to the rectory was constructed in the 1870s. As early as 1602, when the first church was built on the north side of the river, there was a need for a bridge. In the 1600s and 1700s, there were duckboards, or simple floating rafts were used to transport churchgoers. It must have been frightening, as below Långforsen there are strong currents. Later, during ice-free periods, a temporary bridge was used. The stone bridge was built in 1888 on top of granite coffins shaped like wedge points to face the ice floes coming rapidly from the mill chutes. The bridge was renovated in 1953, and its current form was established in 2006.

 

Sources: Malax museiförening. Compiled by Kerstin Hägen.