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
Speciality Museums • Historic Sites • History Museums
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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.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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4.5
86 reviews
Excellent
56
Very good
28
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Johanna K
9 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
Very interesting and beautiful place. Near The mill there is a charming village. Many activities available onlt on summer, best season on July.
Written 3 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.
kuu-kanko
Helsinki, Finland714 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.
Jarmo J
Kuopio, Finland239 contributions
Jul 2021
Lovely place and ambience in the middle of nowhere. Finely conserved old paper mill and peripheral facilities
Written 20 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.
Tomi Wickman
Helsinki, Finland2,176 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.
mWrite
Helsinki, Finland1,367 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, Finland3 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.
Jokke58
Kouvola, Finland54 contributions
May 2019
If you visit Finland, you have to visit Mill that shows you what is very Finnish: pulp, paper and board manufacturing! This old mill is like it has been stopped yesterday though it has been closed for over 50 years. You can hear and feel how pulp has been manufactured in old times. In modern mills you can't see it as concretically as you see it here - and those nice old stories!
Written 20 November 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, Finland2,176 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.
teemuluk
Helsinki, Finland33 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
The Verla Mill Museum is a compact and well-organized site where the Finnish industrial history comes alive. The guided one hour tour inside the museum is informative and interesting (and there is no access without a guide). Within the same courtyard there are also a cafe and shops where e.g. handicrafts, bread and wines are sold. The Visit to this UNESCO World Heritage site was a truly inspiring one, and I do warmly recommend it to everyone wishing to elaborate and experience the old times.
Written 11 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.
Marko M
Hollola, Finland273 contributions
Jul 2018
This factory museum is very well preserved like it was almost hundred years ago. One of the world heritage sites in Finland. I recommend to visit this site even it's located in rural area.
Written 5 December 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.
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WORLD HERITAGE SITE - VERLA GROUNDWOOD AND BOARD MILL (Kouvola) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about World Heritage Site - Verla Groundwood and Board Mill
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