Highlights

History

Ahlström’s Noormarkku Ironworks is one of the most significant industrial sites in Finland. Noormarkku was first mentioned in historical records in 1402, when Finland’s first archdeacon, Heikki Maununpoika, donated his estate to the Chapter of Turku Cathedral. In 1795, Adjutant General Carl Constantin de Carnall acquired the Herrgård and Tommila estates, along with six associated tenant farms and two sawmills. He decided to establish an ironworks at the Herrgård estate, and in 1806, he received a privilege from the Mining Board to operate one bar iron hammer and two forges. Noormarkku Ironworks was the last ironworks to be established in Finland during Swedish rule.

In 1864, the ironworks was sold to Karl Johan Lönegren, a merchant from Pori, who repaired, among other things, the underperforming Makkarakoski sawmill. After Lönegren encountered financial difficulties, the ironworks was sold at a compulsory auction in 1870 and acquired by Antti Ahlström, a businessman from Merikarvia. At the time of the sale, the ironworks was in poor condition, as previous owners lacked the resources to maintain or renovate it. Ahlström undertook a major restoration and expansion of the site. The old forges were replaced with two Franche-Comté forges, and a pig iron hammer and two bar iron hammers were acquired. The entire forge building was rebuilt. However, the industrial facilities faced several setbacks: the sawmill burned down in 1875, and the forge burned twice, in 1883 and 1893. After the last fire, the forge was rebuilt using stone. These historic industrial buildings still stand along the Makkarakoski River and can be visited on guided tours.

The Ahlström family settled in Noormarkku in 1870, and over the following 60 years, three prominent family residences were built: Isotalo (1881, Evert Lagerspetz), Havulinna (1901, Gustaf Adolf Lindberg), and the world-famous Villa Mairea (1939), designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto. Several other notable buildings were also constructed on the estate, including the Main Office (1916, Emil Fabritius and Valter Jung), the Club House (1924, Karl Lindahl), executive villas, and some workers’ housing. Today, the Makkarakoski sawmill functions as a sawmill museum, and the old forge houses the Ahlström Voyage exhibition. Many of the executive villas now serve as guest houses and meeting facilities.

The Noormarkku Ironworks area is architecturally significant, with its buildings and gardens forming a striking and cohesive ensemble. A. Ahlström Real Estate Ltd. continues to maintain the site with great care. According to the Finnish Heritage Agency, the ironworks is a nationally valuable built cultural environment. Ahlström has been awarded the Satakunta Medal for the preservation and maintenance of the site’s culturally and historically important areas. In addition, the company received an industrial heritage award from the Finnish Industrial Heritage Association in 2015 for converting the Makkarakoski sawmill into a museum and creating the Ahlström Voyage exhibition.