World Heritage Site - Verla Groundwood and Board Mill
World Heritage Site - Verla Groundwood and Board Mill
World Heritage Site - Verla Groundwood and Board Mill
4.5
About
You can visit Verla Mill Museum 2 May – 30 September Tue-Sun 11:00-16:00 From midsummer until the August 15th open daily 10:00-18:00. (Closed in midsummer on Friday) Guided tours only: Tours in Finnish begin every hour on the hour. The last tour of the day is at 16:00 or 18:00. Tours in other languages (Swedish, English, German, Russian…) are available by arrangement. Admission Adults € 12 Concessions € 9 Children under 18 free entrance.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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4.5
87 reviews
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29
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kuu-kanko
Helsinki, Finland869 contributions
Jul 2021
The mill is not very big. You have to take a guided tour to visit it. The tour lasted less than an hour, including a short movie shot during the last summer of operations before the mill was closed. The movie is old, but it's good, and really brought into life what I saw on the tour.
The amount of people allowed on each tour is quite small. There were about 20 of us, and they already split us into two groups because there were so many of us (our group saw the movie after the tour, the other group started with the movie). They recommend prebooking on their website. Tours in other languages than Finnish need to be booked ahead, but when I visited, someone English-speaking just walked up to join the tour and the guide shared some of the information in English.
The mill has been kept in the condition it was in when they closed and it is well maintained. I assume that as there are not that much visitors, the owner UPM-Kymmene puts a lot of their own money into maintaining the museum. It was interesting to see how rudimentary the process of cardboard manufacturing was back in the days.
There are also other buildings in the area. You can get in some of them, but they are quick to scan through. There are also prehistoric rock paintings that can be seen from a small platform built next to the parking lot.
I'd say Verla is still off the beaten path. The somewhat remote location must contribute to that. Sure, it can be reached by car, but a typical tourist probably doesn't end up in the area, so you have to drive there just for the purpose of visiting Verla. I went there by bus. There are a whopping 4 buses a week there and back from Kouvola (bus number 15 of Kouvola public transport): on Saturdays and Sundays there's a morning bus and an afternoon bus. On weekdays, there is no bus service. At least this summer the bus timetable was made so that the morning bus left about 1.5 hours at Verla and the afternoon bus about 2 hours (or if you take the morning bus there and the afternoon bus back, you would have the full day there, but I believe it would be too long). I took the morning bus, so I had time to take the tour and scan the rest of the area quickly. I had prebooked my tour at the mill to make sure that I could get on the only one that fits in the slot the buses allow. The bus departed from the railway station in Kouvola and went past the Veturi shopping mall, where some of the long-distance coaches stop. I left Helsinki on a train departing a bit after 8 AM and was back around 4 PM (I had lunch in Kouvola after getting back from Verla).
The amount of people allowed on each tour is quite small. There were about 20 of us, and they already split us into two groups because there were so many of us (our group saw the movie after the tour, the other group started with the movie). They recommend prebooking on their website. Tours in other languages than Finnish need to be booked ahead, but when I visited, someone English-speaking just walked up to join the tour and the guide shared some of the information in English.
The mill has been kept in the condition it was in when they closed and it is well maintained. I assume that as there are not that much visitors, the owner UPM-Kymmene puts a lot of their own money into maintaining the museum. It was interesting to see how rudimentary the process of cardboard manufacturing was back in the days.
There are also other buildings in the area. You can get in some of them, but they are quick to scan through. There are also prehistoric rock paintings that can be seen from a small platform built next to the parking lot.
I'd say Verla is still off the beaten path. The somewhat remote location must contribute to that. Sure, it can be reached by car, but a typical tourist probably doesn't end up in the area, so you have to drive there just for the purpose of visiting Verla. I went there by bus. There are a whopping 4 buses a week there and back from Kouvola (bus number 15 of Kouvola public transport): on Saturdays and Sundays there's a morning bus and an afternoon bus. On weekdays, there is no bus service. At least this summer the bus timetable was made so that the morning bus left about 1.5 hours at Verla and the afternoon bus about 2 hours (or if you take the morning bus there and the afternoon bus back, you would have the full day there, but I believe it would be too long). I took the morning bus, so I had time to take the tour and scan the rest of the area quickly. I had prebooked my tour at the mill to make sure that I could get on the only one that fits in the slot the buses allow. The bus departed from the railway station in Kouvola and went past the Veturi shopping mall, where some of the long-distance coaches stop. I left Helsinki on a train departing a bit after 8 AM and was back around 4 PM (I had lunch in Kouvola after getting back from Verla).
Written 31 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dgjohansson
Ronneby, Sweden1,645 contributions
Jun 2023
LOved my visit to this place. Baeutiful buildings which are free to wander around on the outside, but the thing is the guided tour where you can enter the old factory and see how the boards was made. Very interesting and highly recommended. I went on a guided tour in finnsih, but the guide was kind enough to translate some parts to English and with the help of a self guide paper, it was internesting enough. I would have liked a full guided english tour, but those are needed to book ahead to be sure. All-in-all, go here! But do a guided tour!
Written 9 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mWrite
Helsinki, Finland1,311 contributions
Jul 2020
Verla is typical old factory in Finland, located next to a river, which provided power. It is located ca 30km from Kouvola, easiest to reach by own/rented car. There is public bus connection during the summer.
Area contains several old original buildings, making it really worth a trip. It is unique World Heritage Site, only one presenting forest industry and paper making. There is mansion, power plant, factory and employee accommodation. Additional few shops and restaurant.
You can learn a lot about paper production at the museum.
Summary: As an unique place, worth detour or even own trip.
Area contains several old original buildings, making it really worth a trip. It is unique World Heritage Site, only one presenting forest industry and paper making. There is mansion, power plant, factory and employee accommodation. Additional few shops and restaurant.
You can learn a lot about paper production at the museum.
Summary: As an unique place, worth detour or even own trip.
Written 22 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kri S
Kotka, Finland2 contributions
May 2020
The site is wonderfull, everything is like it was left tens of years ago. The guide had interesting stories to tell, including one lady who worked there for years and years on the same position and had even left markings on the floor during the years.
But in the evening, just before the sun goes down and everyone else has gone. Only seagulls screaming and the powerplant humming. That is the time to just sit, watch and think how different things were decades ago.
But in the evening, just before the sun goes down and everyone else has gone. Only seagulls screaming and the powerplant humming. That is the time to just sit, watch and think how different things were decades ago.
Written 15 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heikki s
Helsinki, Finland111 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Verla was the first stop of our five day round trip of Southeastern Finland. A friend recommended the place, and for good reason.
Overall an impressive and beautiful place, well taken care of. We stayed in a lovely, tidy cottage built in the late 19th century. Enjoyed the sauna and clear water of the lake.
I'd give 5/5 if not for some trouble with the sauna door code... And overpriced drinks in the restaurant. But all in all, a positive experience!
Overall an impressive and beautiful place, well taken care of. We stayed in a lovely, tidy cottage built in the late 19th century. Enjoyed the sauna and clear water of the lake.
I'd give 5/5 if not for some trouble with the sauna door code... And overpriced drinks in the restaurant. But all in all, a positive experience!
Written 22 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tomi Wickman
Helsinki, Finland2,929 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
Old paper factory and mill. Local originall hand made design products. Cafe and restaurant. Really nice visit
Written 19 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tomi Wickman
Helsinki, Finland2,929 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
Old paper factory and mill. Local originall hand made design products. Cafe and restaurant. Really nice visit. Traditional
Written 15 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CANDVD
Toronto, Canada93 contributions
Sept 2018 • Friends
I travel the world going to UNESCO sites, and that is the primary reason I went to the Board Mill. Once there, it became quite interesting to see and understand production in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It's very clear why this has received the designation - well preserved both pre electrification and post. We were lucky to go on the second last day of the year of operations, so the tour was free that day. We emailed a month in advance to book an English tour, and they were organized (ie expecting us) and it turned out we were the only ones, so we had our own private tour for free - what a deal. Our tour guide was very well educated in the mill's history - she was awesome. The tour is about an hour, and I would suggest 30 minutes to tour around the rest of the grounds. The trip from Helsinki up there is a great way to see the country and takes a little over 2 hours.
Written 21 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Minnamatkustaa
Lahti, Finland51 contributions
Sept 2017 • Business
Don't pass this lovely, heart warming and surprising place if you have a chance to visit Verla! It's very beutiful small factory area by a water side. The story of Verla is amazing, as they kept the factory running as long as their empoyees wanted to work there (the new owner, UPM had decited years ago that the small factory doesn't produce enough and they didn't invest to new machines, and the employees used the old measures (from the 19th century) to the end of the factory!). So visiting the factory museum is a leap straight to the old times, when men were made of steel.. There's also some nice shopping as handicrafts and wine, to do, as well as a nice little restaurant and cafe to sit down and enjoy the atmosphere!
Written 12 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AndyLA76
Espoo, Finland147 contributions
The place was packed with senior citizens but still there was room to walk around and take in the unique site. The cafe is quite pricy but the cakes and pastries were quite tasty.
On the downside it's some drive to get there from Kouvola but if you know how to navigate the roads it's worth a visit.
Written 24 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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