Igelbäckens blast furnace is one of the county's few preserved smelting plants. It was built in 1826 to replace an older mill. The smelter was in operation until 1923.
Mining has characterized the development of Örebro County from the 12th century until the 1970s, including in the southern part of the county. Since the Middle Ages, there have been around 300 ironworks in the county. Today, only a few smelting plants have been preserved.
