Boden Fortress Radio Bunker
Encyclopedia
Boden Fortress Radio Bunker is a communications bunker
, part of Boden Fortress
, outside the city of Boden
, Norrbotten
, in northern Sweden
. It was used for the first radio broadcast in Swedish history.
, and was located south of Degerberget Fort
on the "Great Mire" bog, also known as the "Radio Mire" . The station was then rebuilt as a communications bunker in 1916, a concrete construction with one floor above ground and one floor below ground, which was supposed to withstand fire from most weapons of that time. The original station was equipped with three 108 metres tall radion masts while the new bunker had two 20 metre masts with the antenna inbetween.
The bunker was first used for radiotelegraphy
to keep Boden Fortress in contact with other parts of the country. It also played an important role during the First World War
as a medium for exchange of prisoner of war
telegrams between the Russian Empire
and the Central Powers
. Around 7,900 such telegrams were sent during one year. The station was also used for the contact with Sveagruva on Svalbard
and for radiotelegraphy with ships in the Gulf of Bothnia
.
At 15:00 local time on the 12 July 1921, the first radio broadcast in Swedish history was sent from the bunker. Radio commissioner
Axel Jenner conducted this historic broadcast, with the Swedish king Gustav V listening some 35 km away in Luleå
. Due to a misunderstanding between Jenner and his radio telegrapher, the first words uttered in the broadcast were , a Swedish profanity in the style of "damn" or "darn", but literally translated to "embrace the devils".
Radiotjänst
, the Swedish national radio broadcaster took control of the broadcasts from the bunker in 1925. The bunker was put out of operation 1 January 1975 and ten years later in 1985, it was decomissioned by the Swedish Army
. The bunker has decayed since then, but in 2010 a project to get the bunker declared a historic building was started.
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
, part of Boden Fortress
Boden Fortress
Boden Fortress is a modern fortress consisting of several major and minor forts and fortifications surrounding the city of Boden, Norrbotten, in northern Sweden. The fortress was originally intended to stop or delay attacks from the east or coastal assaults, which at the time of construction meant...
, outside the city of Boden
Boden, Sweden
Boden is a locality and the seat of Boden Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 18,680 inhabitants in 2005.- History :The town of Boden started as a railway junction where the Northern Line met with the Ore Line from the rich iron ore fields in northern Sweden.The town experienced...
, Norrbotten
Norrbotten
Norrbotten is a Swedish province in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland.- Administration :...
, in northern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It was used for the first radio broadcast in Swedish history.
History
The first radio station at the site was finished by 1914, originally built for the Swedish NavySwedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
, and was located south of Degerberget Fort
Degerberget Fort
Degerberget Fort is a modern fort, part of Boden Fortress, outside the city of Boden, Norrbotten, in northern Sweden. The fort was finished in 1908 but improvements were also continuously made during, and between, both World Wars. Besides its military role, the fort also served as storage for part...
on the "Great Mire" bog, also known as the "Radio Mire" . The station was then rebuilt as a communications bunker in 1916, a concrete construction with one floor above ground and one floor below ground, which was supposed to withstand fire from most weapons of that time. The original station was equipped with three 108 metres tall radion masts while the new bunker had two 20 metre masts with the antenna inbetween.
The bunker was first used for radiotelegraphy
Wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy is a historical term used today to apply to early radio telegraph communications techniques and practices, particularly those used during the first three decades of radio before the term radio came into use....
to keep Boden Fortress in contact with other parts of the country. It also played an important role during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a medium for exchange of prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
telegrams between the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
. Around 7,900 such telegrams were sent during one year. The station was also used for the contact with Sveagruva on Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
and for radiotelegraphy with ships in the Gulf of Bothnia
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.-Name:...
.
At 15:00 local time on the 12 July 1921, the first radio broadcast in Swedish history was sent from the bunker. Radio commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
Axel Jenner conducted this historic broadcast, with the Swedish king Gustav V listening some 35 km away in Luleå
Luleå
- Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden....
. Due to a misunderstanding between Jenner and his radio telegrapher, the first words uttered in the broadcast were , a Swedish profanity in the style of "damn" or "darn", but literally translated to "embrace the devils".
Radiotjänst
Sveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
, the Swedish national radio broadcaster took control of the broadcasts from the bunker in 1925. The bunker was put out of operation 1 January 1975 and ten years later in 1985, it was decomissioned by the Swedish Army
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
. The bunker has decayed since then, but in 2010 a project to get the bunker declared a historic building was started.