Verkstads AB Pythagoras was founded in 1898 as a factory making mechanical calculators (hence the name). When the prototype for the calculator turned out to be a dud, the company pivoted to locks, candelabras, and electric light fittings instead, and eventually developed a hot bulb engine of their own which became the main export. Gaining some moderate international success, Pythagoras was an important employer in the small town of Norrtälje, until it’s closing in 1979.
These days Pythagoras functions as a museum instead, with its well-preserved factory floor, interior, and various machines giving a unique insight into the industrialization of Sweden in the 20th-century.
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Verkstadsgatan 6
761 43 Norrtälje
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+ 46 (0) 176 100 50External link icon
pythagorasmuseum.se (page in Swedish)