[12/4/2006 ]
Anna and Katrin to bore the Citytunnel
Today the two huge machines that will bore the Citytunnel have been named after two famous women from Malmö history, Anna Pedersdotter and Katrin Hattemagers. The tunnels themselves were named Lise-Lotte after their ‘godmother’, Lise-Lotte Reiter, Director-General of the Scania County Administrative Board.
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Fr Daniel Adner of the Catholic parish in Malmö and the Rev Per Lidbeck of St Johannes parish |
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In a niche at the tunnel mouth in Holma, there is a statue of the patron saint of the tunnel workers, St Barbara. |
There are several strong traditions among European tunnel workers. It is for example important that the worksite is blessed and that their patron St Barbara watches over the workers and the project and is honoured on her feast day, 4 December. It is also important that the tunnel and tunnel-boring machines are named.
TBM Anna
The machine that has already drilled some 60 m into the Malmö limestone is called Anna after Anna Pedersdotter. She was the daughter of the mayor of Helsingör Denmark, Peder Hansen Liljefeldt.
Anna Pedersdotter was married to Mogens Jensen who became Lord Rosenvinge in 1505, and later mayor of Helsingör. Anna was widowed in 1528 and left with three children. She then had the Rosenvinge House built in Malmö, and also acquired properties in Copenhagen and Helsingör, to secure the inheritance. She was later married to the Malmö city court judge, Cornelius Mathisen. How long Anna Pedersdotter lived is not accurately known, but she probably died around 1557.
The house that Anna Pedersdotter had built in Malmö is still there today. It is located on Västergatan in the Jörgen Kock district, and is known as the Rosenvinge House. The building is mainly famous for having the oldest wallpaper in Scandinavia, which is on the ceiling of the ground floor. Another indication of how she built for the future is that there are recesses on two sides of the house, indicating that she planned to extend it. No extensions were ever built, however.
TBM Katrin
The second machine, which is currently being assembled, is called Katrin after Katrin Hattemagers. She was born at the end of the 15th century, probably (as her name implies) the daughter of a hat-maker.
She married another hat-maker named Lauritz. It should be noted that, in those days, to be a ‘hat-maker’ meant being a textile dealer rather than a hatter or milliner. Katrin bore three children, and, when her husband died, secured her inheritance by building a house, as Anna Pedersdotter did. In her widowhood, she continued to extend the family business, and was later married to the clothier David Albrecktsen.
Katrin Hattemagers died a wealthy woman in 1559. She had skilfully operated the business and successfully managed and increased the family’s wealth. The house she had built still stands today on Adelgatan. It was a beautiful red-painted building embellished with a handsome stone lion. The interior was also attractively painted with leaves and flowers. It is said that Katrin preferred to dress in black, but that she liked to wear attractive jewellery.
These two women from Malmö’s history were selected by the historian Anders Reisnert in association with Citytunneln.
‘There is a clear connection between these two women and the major infrastructure project currently being carried out in Malmö. Anna Pedersdotter and Katrin Hattemagers built and invested for the future and they displayed strength and energy during the hard years of the 16th century’, says Citytunnel Project Manager, Örjan Larsson.
Tunnel Lise-Lotte
The tunnels being bored beneath Malmö are also named after a Malmö woman, Lise-Lotte Reiter, Director-General of the Scania County Administrative Board, and Tunnel Lise-Lotte is the official name of the tunnels. Lise-Lotte Reiter is also the patron of the tunnels and their workers. It is an honorary task and means among other things that she ensures that the tunnel workers are well looked after, and visits the site occasionally to bring treats.
The machines and tunnels were blessed and named at an ecumenical service in the Holma work shaft. The blessing, which also included the workers themselves, was given by Fr Daniel Adner of the Catholic parish in Malmö and the Rev Per Lidbeck of St Johannes parish.
The service was attended by Director-General Lise-Lotte Reiter, by management and workers of Citytunneln and the contractor MCG, and by guests from Banverket and Malmö City.