World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station
Grimeton Radio Station was built in the 1920s, in the aftermath of the First World War, in order to establish a wireless communication link across the Atlantic between Sweden and the United States. As the only remaining station of its kind that stands witness to what wireless technology looked like in its cradle, Grimeton is today a unique World Heritage Site. 2024 marks one hundred years since the station was commissioned. Today, the well-preserved and still fully functional station has been converted into a museum. At Grimeton, visitors can dig into the technological wonders that are the basis for today’s information society, where communication across borders is crucial fundament of our world.
The First World War had caused great difficulties for Sweden in maintaining contact with the outside world, especially over long distances. The main part of international telegrams was sent via cables that were both vulnerable and expensive to maintain and were often owned by external actors. When peace came, the search for solutions that would better equip the country for the future began.
Swedish Parliament decided in 1920 to establish a wireless telegraph connection with the United States. Such a direct link was believed to help promote business deals and state affairs, but also facilitate contacts between the many Swedish Americans and their old homeland. Grimeton was chosen as the site, and the work on constructing the radio station began in 1922 and was completed three years later, in 1924. That this new radio station would be built on the Swedish west coast was clear from the beginning as it was advantageous to have as short a distance to the USA as possible. At the same time, the signal could go freely to Norway, Denmark and Scotland. The open fields in Grimeton’s and Hunnestad’s parishes in central Halland were recognized as the best location.
New transmissions destinations were established after a while. During World War II, the station played an important role in connecting with the rest of the world, due to the interruption of the traffic over cables. The 1950s turned into the golden age for transmitting via Grimeton. Thereafter, new methods of communication were developed and Grimeton’s importance as an active radio station gradually declined. But the station has never been completely shut down.
Although a network of similar radio stations was built all around the world during the early 1900s, today only Grimeton remains in working order. Today, Grimeton is an important industrial monument and is also a witness to an important period in the development of the information society that we live in today. Since 2004, it has been on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites.
