Jonas Lidströmer

Jonas Lidströmer (1755-1808), was a Swedish inventor and officer in the Swedish navy.Jonas Lidströmer was born in 1755 at Lagfors bruk, Medelpad, and died 1808 in Stockholm [G Elgenstierna, "Svenska adelns ättartaflor", 1920] . Colonel-mecanicus, Head of the mechanical state of the Royal Swedish-Finnish Navy, Royal Inventor and advicer to the king, Knight of the order of Wasa and finally knighted Lidströmer (was previously called Lidström).He was the son of inspector and co-owner of Lagfors bruk, Jonas Lidström the elder (born 1713), and began his studies at Uppsala University in spring 1771.

Jonas Lidströmer has often been called Sweden's "mechanical genius" and is often compared with Polhem, another great Swedish inventor.He collaborated with Fredrik Henrik af Chapman and came via him to Karlskrona, the main base of the Swedish navy at the time. He also collaborated with the artists Johan Tobias Sergel, Louis Jean Desprez and Ehrensvärd, and a letter corresondence with C.C. Gjörwell has been preserved. The later wellrenowned royal architect Fredrik Blom was the adept of Jonas Lidströmer. [Fredrik Blom, Åminnelse-Tal öfver Kongl. Akademiens framl. Ledamot, öfvertse Löjtanten, Välborne Herr Jonas Lidströmer, Krigsvetenskapsakademiens Handlingar 1808-1809, pp. 37-58, Stockholm, 1811 ]

Perhaps he is mostly famous for the Obelisk at Slottsbacken adjacent to the Royal Palace in Stockholm and the construction of Norrbro (the bridge between the Royal Palace and the Opera in Stockholm, architecht for the southern part, but leader for the construction of the northern as well). Jonas Lidströmer also erected the statue of king Gustav III, with its functional postament. He has also designed, constructed and built the famous Mast Crane at the Naval harbour of Karlskrona. [L. M. Bååth, "Helgeandsholmen och Norrrström", vol. I-II, Stockholm, 1918]

Jonas Lidströmer also constructed series of harbours in Sweden and Finland, and improved the harbours of Gothenburg, Karlskrona and Helsingborg. ["Göteborgs eskader och örlogsstation 1523-1870", Gotenburg, 1949]

He was the head of the Mechanical school in Karlskorna, the most qualified technical education at the time. He is behind a large number of mechanical devices and innovations, such as steel grinderies, chip docks, compasses etc. [P.O. Nyström, Åminnelse-tal öfver Chefen för Kongl. örlogsflottans Mekaniska Stat, öfverstelöjtnanten och Riddaren av Kongl. Wasa Orden, Herr Jonas Lidströmer, Carlskrona, 1820. ]

Jonas Lidströmer was the preces of the Royal Academy of Science (Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien), member of several other academies such as the Academy of Free Arts (Akademien för de fria konsterna) and the Royal War Academy (Kungliga Krigsvetenskaps Akademien). [N. M. Lindh, "Svenskt biografiskt lexikon", pp.. 217-220, örebro, 1865-68] He was knight of the Royal Order of Wasa. Several models and drawings of his work are present at a number of museums such as the Maritime Museum in Stockholm (Sjöhistoriska museet), the Architecture Museum in Stockholm (Arkitekturmuseum) and the Naval Museum in Karlskrona (Marinmuseum). ["Svenskt biografiskt lexikon", pp. 733-735, Stockholm, 1977-1979]

He married Elisabeth Öhman and had six children. Two daughters and two sons survived to adulthood. His younger son Johan Nikolaus Lidströmer, who inherited the Allatorp property outside Karlskrona in Blekinge, had children, but no grandchildren. Jonas Lidströmer's oldest son Fredrik August Lidströmer (1787- 1856) was Stockholm's City Architect and passed the name further to his oldest son Otto August Lidströmer, businessman in Stockholm, who also had a younger brother Fredrik Lidströmer who was commander (officer) at the former Swedish colony Saint Barthelemy in the Caribbean, who did however not have any children. Otto August Lidströmer alone passed the name further to his only son Gustaf Lidströmer (lawyer)(who's sister Sigrid Lidströmer didn't have any children), who in his turn passed it to his only child Jonas (II) Lidströmer (lawyer). [Sveriges ridderskap och adels kalender, Stockholm, Edition 104, 2007. ISBN 91-631-9198-9]

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