Motala Verkstads betydelse för Motalas framväxt

In most part of the 17th century, two villages, only seperated two and a half kilometres from each other developed seperatly and in diametrically different directions. One was called Motala köping, the other one Motala verkstad socken. From 1823 to 1850 Motala Köping was living in the shadow of the other village. With inhibitants mostly consisting of poor vagrants and petty criminals it was hard for the rulers of the village to attract rich merchants and developers to invest, let alone move there. In the same time, the village of Motala verkstad socken prospered. Centered around its big mechanical factory, Motala verkstad, the village increasingly grew both in population and in importance. With its products spread around the globe and with big contracts both domestically and abroad its technical knowledge and its workers skills were widely renowned. But starting in 1850, Motala köping slowly started to develope. In the course of 31 years, the village grew important and big enough to achieve the rights to call itself a town. My conclusion is that Motala köping grew to become a city merely as a result of the innovators and innovations of the Motala verkstad factory. The geographical space of Motala verkstad socken was limited, and when the success of the factory led to recruitments of workers, a shortage of housing was the result. With workers moving to the köping and the need for foodstuffs in the growing Motala verkstad socken became alarming, the result was that the two villages came in contact. A ferryline started on the Göta channel between the two villages, and twice a week a carriage came from the köping with mail and foodstuffs. When the railway connected the two villages in 1873 it led to increasing communication, and when the Motala verkstad factory specialiced in technical advanced production, skilled but uneduacated workers moved to newly started factories in the outskirts of Motala köping. Thus, technical know-how, skills and communication between the two villages led to a multiplying effect, in wich the köping became the winner. With its ideal geographic location, it could develop and increase its space in all directions and in the end, it led to Motala köping becoming Motala stad on the 1th of april 1881