Ankkapurha Culture Park

Ankkapurha Culture Park is a historically and culturally significant destination located along the Kymi River in Kouvola, about a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Helsinki. The park stretches across the villages of Anjala and Inkeroinen, and at its heart flows the Ankkapurha Rapids, from which the area takes its name. A pedestrian and cycling bridge crossing the rapids connects the two sides of the area, making the park easy to explore on foot.

The park weaves together centuries of Finnish history, industrial heritage, and culture. The Anjala Manor and its surroundings take visitors back to the 18th century, a time when the first aspirations for Finnish independence began to emerge.

The Ankkapurha Industrial Museum tells the story of the area’s industrial past. At its core is Finland’s first continuously operating board machine, along with an exhibition depicting over 150 years of life in a factory community. The paper and board industry still remains strong in the area today.

The influence of the world-renowned architect Alvar Aalto is also visible in the area. In the 1930s, Aalto designed a residential district for factory workers as well as the Tehtaanmäki School, which is considered a nationally significant building.

Ankkapurha Culture Park offers experiences for all visitors. The Makasiinikahvila- Summercafé serves guests during the summer, while Restaurant Ankkapurha is open year-round. The area also provides accommodation and conference services. It is well suited for families, with attractions such as a popular disc golf course. The natural surroundings along the Kymi River and the trails of Känkkäränmäki offer beautiful riverside scenery.

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Kymenlaakso Regional Route

Ankkapurha Culture Park
Ankkapurhantie 6a
46910 Anjala

Highlights

History

The Ankkapurha area is rich in diverse history and fascinating sites. Since the 17th century, life along the border river between Sweden and Russia has included both splendid manor living and the hardships of wartime. The industrial era of Ankkapurha began in the 19th century and continues to this day at Stora Enso’s Anjalankoski mills.

Anjala Manor has been the foundation of the area’s development since the 17th century. The manor is open to visitors during the summer season. In the old granary, a charming summer café—Makasiini Café—operates during the summer months. Both the manor and the café host art exhibitions and various events, which highlight and bring to life the area’s history while also offering performance opportunities, for example, to young artists.

The manor’s old stone cowshed, built in 1842, underwent its most recent transformation in a renovation completed in 2019. Today, it serves as the main building on the western side of the Kymijoki River in Ankkapurha. The building houses Restaurant Ankkapurha, various meeting facilities, a sports hall, and the offices of the Ankkapurha Cultural Foundation.

One of the area’s most intriguing sites is the Regina School building, originally constructed in the 1840s. The school was previously located elsewhere in the village of Anjala but was relocated near Anjala Manor in 2008. Regina School can be used year-round for meetings and various events, and it also serves as a venue for activities organized by the Ankkapurha Youth Center.

In Inkerois, on the eastern side of the Kymijoki River within the Ankkapurha Cultural Park, there is the Ankkapurha Industrial Museum as well as a large area of residential buildings and industrial sites designed by Alvar Aalto. This area began to develop in the 1870s around factory culture. At the Industrial Museum, visitors can explore, during the summer, the working and living conditions associated with the present-day Stora Enso Anjalankoski mills, as well as the development of the forest industry over more than 150 years. The museum also features Stone Age artifacts discovered in the area.

Access between the different sites of the cultural park across the Kymijoki River is possible on foot or by walking a bicycle across the dam bridge of the hydroelectric power plant completed in the 1920s, or by car via the village of Inkerois. Kouvola’s local buses run between Inkerois Market Square and Anjala Church.