Verla was the first stop of our five day round trip of Southeastern Finland. A friend recommended... read more
Verla was the first stop of our five day round trip of Southeastern Finland. A friend recommended... read more
LOved my visit to this place. Baeutiful buildings which are free to wander around on the outside... read more
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.
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.
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!
Old paper factory and mill. Local originall hand made design products. Cafe and restaurant. Really nice visit
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.
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.