Granite in Bohuslän has been used since prehistoric times.
Burial sites, rock carvings, medieval church buildings and fortifications testify to this.
The stone industry has its roots in the industrial development and urbanisation of northern Europe, where in the mid-19th century there was a demand for good materials for canals, harbours, streets and buildings. Companies established in Bohuslän often had foreign capital, although the earliest company to start on Malmön was created by the merchant Kullgren and the engineer Ericsson (later Kullgren's widow).
Labour migration
Stone workers from Blekinge were keen to come to the region and labour migration between Norway and Sweden became common. The industry had a low degree of mechanisation and the stonemasonry profession came to require great professional skills.
Since its inception, the Bohuslän stone industry has undergone major changes, from large export orders to recession, mass unemployment and government support orders. Business forms have also changed from small companies, individual landowners and co-operatives to the current situation with two major companies operating in the area.
The sea route
Most of the Bohuslän granite is located close to the coast and this has favoured the development of maritime transport. The Bohuslän railway was only built after the turn of the century 1900.
Living history books
It is mainly along the coastline that we can find traces of the countless small quarries that have cut up the mountains far out into the sea. In communities ranging from Lysekil and far into Norway, one can find traces of activities associated with the companies' ambitions to build housing, loading docks and roads adjacent to the larger quarries.
Communities expanded and popular movements emerged in the latter part of the 19th century. Several of these buildings have been preserved today. The communities of Krokstrand at Idejorden and Malmön at Sotenäs can be experienced as "living history books" where the stories of the industry are clearly visible.