Pohjan ruukkiympäristöt (Bruksmiljöerna i Pojo)

English translation (from the Finnish)

The text above is the record as published by the Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), in Finnish. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto); it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Among the early ironworks of our country are Antskog, Billnäs and Fiskars, which admirably illustrate the stages of industry from the 17th century to the present day. The differing later histories of the ironworks, in the form of Antskog's weaving mill, Billnäs's carpentry industry and Fiskars's iron and engineering industry as notable industrial establishments in our country, reflect the development of these branches of industry across different centuries. The ironworks environments of the historical parish of Pohja are part of the industrial-historically significant ironworks chain of Western Uusimaa. The ironworks are also of considerable industrial-archaeological interest, and their more recent reputation is linked to the renown, also beyond our national borders, of products representing the modern design of their era.

The Fiskars ironworks area is an extensive complex along the Fiskarsinjoki river, largely built during the 19th century. The three-storey Fiskars ironworks manor, from the first decade of the 19th century, dominates the ironworks landscape along Ruukinkatu. The main building of Fiskars is one of the most significant Empire-style buildings in the countryside, and the associated Ruukinkatu is one of the most impressive ironworks streets. Along Ruukinkatu, in a park-like setting, are the community house, the Värdshuset inn and the ironworks office built in 1765, the oldest building in the area; on the other side of the street are the grain storehouse, the hienotaepaja and the copper hammer works. The dense street scene of Ruukinkatu is formed by the tower-topped building, originally made as a school and stable, and the stone two-storey Empire-period workers' barracks.

On the upper Ruukinkatu, beside the road leading to the present production plant, is a uniform row of workers' red-ochre-painted residential buildings. In the Yläruukki area is the so-called Fiskars factory. In the dense group of production buildings on the banks of the rapids near the dam are the foundry, machine shop and blowing house, which count among the most important in ironworks history. A museum operates in the canteen and office of the machine shop. Workers' and officials' dwellings are also located outside the old ironworks streets, such as on Suutarinmäki in the rocky hilly terrain bordering the area.

The buildings of the Billnäs ironworks, which also include the buildings of the Billnäs carpentry factory and the horticultural school, cluster around the river and rapids. The production buildings form a uniform, compact group on both sides of the ironworks dam. On the southern bank of the rapids, among others, the brick manufactory workshop with its lantern roof is central to the ironworks landscape, as are the two almost identical long wooden buildings built for the needs of the Billnäs carpentry industry. On the northern bank are the electric power station and a mill functioning as a museum. Most of the log, red-ochre-painted residential buildings, as well as the manager's residence and offices, are along the river-parallel ironworks streets running on the north and south sides. The bridge below the rapids connects the ironworks streets with each other. Most of the residential and production buildings date from the 1770s to the 19th century, and many of the production plants also date from the 20th century.

To the west of the Billnäs ironworks area is building stock of the horticultural school, farming and livestock husbandry, dating from the 1890s onwards. To their west is Villa Billnäs, the residence of the ironworks proprietor. The massive two-storey stone main building was designed by Lars Sonck and completed in 1917. The building is connected via a terrace to the formal garden designed by Paul Olsson. The so-called "Amerikanvillat", some 15 residential buildings of officials and workers, are located in the Pentby area. On the outskirts of the ironworks are younger uniform workers' residential areas, including "Hollywood".

The history of the Antskog ironworks relates not only to the early production of copper and iron but also to the early stages of the textile industry. The basic structure and residential buildings of the Antskog ironworks area, the oldest and smallest of Pohja's historical ironworks communities, have been preserved. The red-brick building stock dates from the period of the weaving mill; the oldest are the weaving mill's production building from the 1840s and the dam from the same period. The red-brick neo-Gothic factory from the end of the 19th century and the brick factory and residential building together with the weaving mill form Tehtaankatu on the western bank of the river. The ironworks manor near them has taken its present form over several centuries; its frame is apparently already from the 18th century. Workers' dwellings are grouped along the old roads and the river. The oldest workers' dwellings date from the time the weaving mill was founded. The factory community also includes the workers' hall, school, manager's building and the site of the former ironworks church. The newer Harabacka detached-house area was partly built by the factory. The Vallonipaja and copper ironworks were located about 200 m below the weaving mill on the bank of the rapids. In addition, a prehistoric iron-smelting site has been found between the Antskog and Fiskars ironworks.

History

Prospecting for and mining of iron ore began in Finland in the 17th century. In the historical Pohja parish, which had forests, rapids and the harbour of Pohjankuru, the Antskog ironworks was founded in 1630, the Billnäs ironworks in 1641 and the Fiskars ironworks in 1649. Iron ore was imported from Sweden.

Antskog was reportedly founded by Jacob Wolle (Wulff), who built a blast furnace and a kankirautavasara. The blast furnace was shut down in 1649. A new kankivasarapaja was completed in 1734. The forge was the only place in Finland where takkirauta was hammered into kankirauta by the Walloon method until 1779. At the end of the 18th century, copper was refined at Antskog.

Antskog, Fiskars, Koski and Kärkelä, along with the Orijärvi mine, were sold to John Julin in 1822. For barges, Julin built a sluice at Antskog in 1824, which was destroyed in 1909. The blast furnace was apparently at the same location. Today there is a dam on the site. The copper works were closed in 1880.

Julin founded a woollen factory, along with a fulling and dyeing works, at the Antskog ironworks in 1839. The woollen factory was completed in 1841 and was extended in 1847 for textile colour printing. At the end of the 19th century, Antskog had, in addition to the copper works and a mill, a wool spinning mill, a weaving mill, a dye works and a trikoon production plant. After a fire destroyed the woollen factory in 1900, Antskogin Verkatehdas Oy built a large group of factory buildings. The factory, which produced sarka, tohveli, ulsteri and suiting fabrics, was closed in 1959, when the shares of Oy Antskog Ab passed to MAKO Oy. The property included 45 hectares of land, industrial buildings, numerous wooden residential buildings and two hydroelectric power stations. The second power station was destroyed in a fire. The main products of MAKO Oy were fire-fighting equipment, pumps and industrial valves.

The blast furnace and two kankirautavasarat at Billnäs were founded by Finland's mine master Carl Billsten. The blast furnace operated around 1639-1658. Billsten founded the Fagervik ironworks in 1646. In 1723, the ironworks passed from the Billsten family to Hisinger (ennobled as Hisinger), who owned Billnäs until the 20th century. The Hisingers built kankivasara forges on both sides of the rapids. A fire destroyed the ironworks in 1775, and during its rebuilding the ironworks acquired much of its present appearance. In the first half of the 19th century, Hisinger renovated the ironworks, including the hammer forges and furnaces. Already at the end of the 18th century, the Hisingers made agriculture at Billnäs more efficient. A large garden with greenhouses was established in the area. A gardening school operated at Billnäs from the 1890s until 1933.

The ironworks' production was modernised in the 1880s, and the manufacture of forged nails ended in 1882. The kankivasara work, which had continued for more than 250 years, ended in 1904. In 1888, a plant was completed that produced, among other things, door handles, axes and hammers. Already in 1909, oak office furniture was also being manufactured. The majority of shares in the works passed to Oy Fiskars Ab in 1918, and in 1957 they passed entirely into the ownership of the Fiskars company. The manufacture of oak furniture ended in the 1950s. O.Y. Billnäs A.B. was merged into its parent company Fiskars, and furniture manufacturing ended in 1970. Industrial activity in the old section ended in 2002.

The origins of the Fiskars ironworks are linked to the early history of Antskog, as Antskog's owner Thorswöste founded the Fiskars ironworks in 1649 in order to bring the blast furnace closer to the sea. The blast furnace and the hammer forge were built side by side on the western bank of the rapids. The hammer forge was soon moved to the upper rapids, and the blast furnace operated on the site until 1802. In 1764, Bengt Qvist drew up a general plan for the ironworks, of which the sites of the office, the manor and the lower ironworks street were among those realised.

Like Antskog, Fiskars came into the possession of the Björkman family in 1783. After the kankirauta hammering at Antskog ended, the hammering of kankirauta was moved to Fiskars, where two stone kankirautavasara forges were built. Starting copper refining at Fiskars, as at Antskog, was a significant innovation.

From 1815, Fiskars became the centre of the ironworks company, and an impressive ironworks manor was built there. The stone factory was completed in 1818. The Björkman family sold the ironworks in 1822 to John Jacob Julin (ennobled as von Julin). Julin, a prospector and miner of domestic ore deposits, founded the country's first fine-steel hammering works in 1832. The foundry was completed on the eastern bank of the rapids in 1836. Its products included pots and frying pans. To designs by architect Engel, a brick forge was built in 1831-32, which housed rough and fine forging hammers, a filing shop and a copper smith's workshop. The fine-steel works produced table knives. In 1837, Julin also founded the country's first actual machine works. The machine works produced, among other things, the country's first marine steam engines. The manufacture of agricultural tools became important from the 1850s onwards. A red-brick puddling and rolling mill was completed in 1858, and the rolling mill operated until 1930. A fire destroyed the machine works in 1877, and it was rebuilt. Ploughs were the most important product of the machine works.

Construction of the main building of the ironworks manor began in 1816 to designs by architect Pehr Granstedt. Charles Bassi revised Granstedt's facade plans. In the late 1810s, C.L. Engel proposed extending the building with single-storey colonnade buildings. Of this plan, the colonnade of the entrance and a triglyph frieze under the eaves were realised. In the 1820s, the reception rooms were renovated according to Engel's instructions.