Odhelius' travelogue (1691-92)

In 1690, Odhelius was commissioned by King Charles XI and the Swedish Bureau of Mines to travel across Europe and study its major mining and ironworks operations. The goal was to assess the production—both in scale and quality—and evaluate the market conditions for Swedish iron exports. A key question was whether Sweden could apply monopolistic pricing, as it had at times done in the copper trade.

The assignment was unprecedented in scope. Over two and a half years, Odhelius visited mining and industrial sites across most of Europe, except for Norway, Poland, and Russia. Despite wars and disruptions, he pursued his task with determination. He sent regular reports during his journey and later produced a comprehensive travel account, which has since become a major source for economic and mining history in Sweden.

Odhelius based his findings on primary sources—such as financial accounts and customs records—and managed to access sensitive economic and technical information thanks to his expertise and strong network. He concluded that the iron market could not support monopolistic pricing, a view that convinced the Board.

After his return, Odhelius was promoted within the Bureau of Mines, eventually succeeding Urban Hiärne in a key position. Together, they taught chemical mineral processing, and Odhelius also curated the newly completed mineral cabinet, to which he contributed many specimens collected during his travels.