Torsebro, Naturreservat

Torsebro Gunpowder Mill and Nature Reserve is located at Helgeå, just a few miles north of Kristianstad. The gunpowder mill is one of the country's best preserved, dating back to the end of the 17th century. It was built to supply the Swedish troops with gunpowder. Even today, much of the mill environment remains - both buildings and the surrounding cultural landscape with stone walls and old trees. Some of the buildings are located in the reserve. On a short tour of the lush greenery, you will pass Krutgatan and buildings such as the processing house, weighing shed and powder magazine. The old oaks are impressive, as are the stone walls in the area. Environments that are also appreciated by the area's rare bats, lichens and beetles.

Large oaks and bats

Torsebro lies on the border between the Kristianstad plain and the Göinge woodlands. In these border areas, from Råbelöv and Torsebro in the south to Hanaskog and Vanås in the north, there is a belt of oak forests. It is these oaks that give the Torsebro and Wanås nature reserves their high natural values. Many of the really old oaks in Torsebro are found around the gunpowder mill. Here, more than 120 trees have been classified as worthy of protection. The oaks are coarse and the bark is furrowed. And many rare fungi, lichens, and insects have found a home in the old tree giants. Some of the most exclusive species are the leatherback beetle and the hollow-wood borer. Bats are another group that find roosting and shelter in the hollows of the trees. No less than 11 bat species have been observed around the mill.

Gunpowder for the Swedish-Danish wars

Large quantities of gunpowder were used in the wars between Sweden and Denmark in the 17th and 18th centuries. That's why the Swedish king Charles XI decided that a gunpowder factory should be built in Skåne. And Torsebro was the perfect place. Helgeå offered water power. Charcoal was available from the forest. And the important ingredient saltpeter came from the urine of grazing animals. Gunpowder production started in 1682 and continued until 1923. Today, Torsebro is one of Sweden's most well-preserved gunpowder mills. The manor house, industrial buildings and workers' homes remain, as does the surrounding cultural landscape with stone walls and old trees. The powder mill has been protected as a listed building since 1996, but only a few buildings are included in the nature reserve. These include Krutgatan with its five ramparts with storage rooms, the processing house, the scale house and the two powder magazines. The oldest of them all is the gunpowder magazine from 1692, which was built in the time of Karl XI.

Outdoor life and accessibility

Torsebro Powder Mill and Nature Reserve is located one mile north of Kristianstad. The beautiful nature with old oaks, Helgeå and the historic mill environment attracts visitors. Parking is available just north of the community of Torsebro. Paths take you around the area. The manor house, workers' dwellings and associated farm buildings are not included in the reserve. Stick to the road/trail and respect the private land. Just beyond the settlement and closer to Helgeå, the nature reserve begins. Along the path there are information signs at ruins and buildings that tell about gunpowder production. Another path leads north to a bird tower located outside the reserve next to Helgeå and Gummatorpasjön (Gummastorpatornet about 1 km). There is also a mooring place for small boats.

In English

Welcome to Torsebro Nature Reserve

Located in the nordeastern Skåne.

Regulations

Within Torsebro Nature Reserve you may not:

1. remove, dig, drill, paint, or in any other way damage land, stones, stone walls, or other natural objects or cultural remains,
2. cut down or otherwise harm or remove living or dead trees, branches or shrubs
3. ride horses or drive horse-drawn vehicles
4. ride bicycles anywhere but on the road marked in appendix 2.
5. bring dogs (or other pets) that are not on a physical leash,
6. place or put up boards, placards, signs, posters or similar,
7. erect any form of construction or place out objects alien to the nature reserve,
8. drive motorized vehicles outside the road marked in appendix 2

Further, without the permission of the county administrative board you may not:

9. catch insects, spiders, gastropods or other invertebrate animals other than by netting, hand picking or other selective method which does not destroy their habitat, with subsequent reintroduction within the nature reserve. The requirement for reintroduction does not apply to individual voucher specimens of species which are difficult to identify, on condition that the record is logged in the reporting system Artportalen, or an equivalent national database for threatened species, and that the collection is not contrary to the species protection regulations,

10. collect mosses, lichens or wood-living fungi, except for individual specimens of species that are difficult to identify, on condition that the find is entered in the Artportalen species reporting system or a corresponding national database of threatened species, and that the collection is not contrary to the species protection regulations.

Funded by the European Union