Repslagarmuseet

About the museum

Repslagarmuseet (Rope-Making Museum) is located in the old rope walk in Älvängen, where the rope works P.A. Carlmarks repslageri operated. The company was founded in 1848 in Åmål, with roots in the family’s rope-making business from 1811, and moved to Älvängen in 1916–1918 in order to expand. The factory was hit by a major fire in 1938 but was quickly rebuilt. During the 1960s synthetic materials began to be used, and the company was sold in 1983. It went bankrupt in 2003.

In the early 1990s the Föreningen Bevara Repslagarbanan (Association to Preserve the Rope Walk) was formed to save the rope walk from demolition. The facility is a listed building and one of the few surviving rope walks in Europe. After a comprehensive renovation in the autumn and winter of 2024–2025, the museum received a new design.

Today the museum is a living craft museum with its own production: rope is laid on a machine that is about a hundred years old. The exhibitions tell the story of rope, of Carlmark’s 200-year legacy and of the rope walk’s role in Swedish industrial history. There is also a museum shop where rope and accessories are sold.

Highlights

• 300-metre rope walk in operation
• Guided tour where rope is laid on an old machine
• Exhibitions on the history of rope and of Carlmark’s
• Museum shop with rope and accessories
• Free admission to the exhibitions
• Listed building

Permanent exhibitions

• Repets historia – Exhibition on the development of rope and rope-making from hand work to industry.
• Carlmarks 200 år – The story of the Carlmark rope works and its place in Swedish rope production.
• Repslagarbanan – The 300-metre rope walk, where rope is made on old machines during guided tours.

Operated by

Föreningen Bevara Repslagarbanan

Admission & discounts

Admission to the exhibitions and the museum shop is free. Rope-making on the rope walk is experienced during the guided tours, which cost extra. No advance booking is needed.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Spacious, easily accessible toilet; ramps into and around the museum for rollators, wheelchairs and prams; a lift to the second floor; and two free parking spaces for disabled visitors outside the entrance. Out of consideration for the exhibits, only guide dogs are allowed indoors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly

During the autumn and sports holidays children and young people can try rope-laying together with the museum’s rope makers.

Getting there & parking

By car from Gothenburg: E45 towards Karlstad, exit 89 (Norra Älvängenmotet), then over the bridge along Repslagarvägen. Entrance through the large gates, then straight on to the right.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Lockers: not available

No café of its own, but pre-booked groups can order coffee with snacks. No lockers or luggage storage. There are no electric car charging points at the museum; the nearest is at Coop in Älvängen.

Events & venue rental

As far as we know, the museum does not rent out spaces for external events.

The museum has no premises suitable for conferences.

Plan your visit