Walloon immigration to Sweden

The history of Walloon immigration to Sweden begins with industrialists Guillaume de Bèche (Willem de Besche; 1573–1629) and Louis De Geer (1587–1652), known as "the father of the Swedish steel industry". Five to ten thousand Walloons emigrated to Sweden, mainly working in the steel industry. During the 1920s, trade unions presented them to Swedish workers as mythical models.