The Heda Lock

Product description

Formal name: Oscar Fredrik (after King Oscar II)
Year of construction: 1818-1820
Technical facts: This double lock has a rise of 5.2 metres. It is manoeuvered using hydraulics and was electrified in 1970. The bridge keeper’s house is a log building, originally part of the Brunnby Estate. The cottage is called Ugglebo and lies near a spring where people used to come to cure themselves of various ailments by drinking its mineral water. The house is thought to have been here since the late 18th century. It may have served as a residence for the local doctor while the spring was in use. After the canal company purchased the building it may have been used as a bakehouse before finally becoming the lock keeper’s house. The house was restored in 1998. Lock keeper Oskar Wilhelm Ljungberg had a dramatic day on April 28, 1914. The Finnish steamboat Drumsö demolished the middle gates of the Heda lock. The impact was so powerful that the lock bars burst. However, the gates quickly received a makeshift repair, avoiding considerable impact on canal traffic.