THE LIME KILNS OF BYXELKROK 
Origins Dating Back to the Middle Ages

The lime kilns of northern Öland were used to burn limestone to produce lime for mortar. Lime burning provided an important supplementary livelihood alongside farming along the rugged Stone Coast (Stenkusten), where limestone was quarried directly from the shoreline. The lime kilns were common in northern Öland and in Byxelkrok during the 18th century, and probably much earlier.

Wood was used to fuel the kilns, and large quantities of dry wood were needed to reach the high temperatures required. The limestone was heated to temperatures between 800-1000°C using wood and glowing alum shale.

The early kilns, described by Carl von Linné during his visit to Grankullavik and Haget in 1741, were approximately 3 metres high and 2.4 metres wide, built of stone and covered with earth and debris on the outside.

The lime burning industry as a supplementary livelihood has completely disappeared, but traces remain in the form of grass-covered waste heaps along northern Öland. In Byxelkrok, such a heap exists about 300 metres north of the harbour.

In Böda Parish, survey have identified traces of around twenty waste heaps and the remains of several circular lime kilns with diameters up to 25 metres.

The illustration is based on historical records and local traditions.