Match Museum

In the early nineteenth century the invention of friction matches made life easier for millions of people. The small piece of matchwood with a tip of phosphorous could be struck much more reliably (and bought more cheaply) than other ways of lighting a fire or a lamp. The match museum is located at the Tändsticksområdet, which is the handsome wooden building of the first match factory of Jönköping, built in 1848. The museum tells the stories of the people who worked in the factory, how it functioned, and how matches became a major export for Sweden. Many of the workers, including children, suffered from diseases as a result of working with phosphorus every day. The introduction of improved mechanisation is explained with a large match-making machine. Many examples of the graphic design of matchbox labels are on show. Archival film is shown about the history of the company.