Highlights

History

In 1746, manttaali commissioner Brynolf Brunou and his co-investors, including the then parish priest of Kuopio, Henrik Argillander, received permission from the Stockholm Board of Mines to establish an ironworks on the banks of the Juckais River in the Kuopio parish. A unique feature was that only lake ore and bog iron were used as raw materials for iron production.

During the first hundred years, the founders of the ironworks and later the noble Tigerstedt family attempted to make the Strömsdalsbruk ironworks profitable, but with poor results. Obtaining raw materials—especially charcoal—was difficult because local residents opposed the operation and the felling of trees for charcoal burning on their slash-and-burn lands. The production methods were also not very advanced, resulting in poor-quality iron. It was only during the era of the Russian Ponomarev family in the latter half of the 19th century that the quality of the iron improved, production volumes increased thanks to new manufacturing methods, and some kind of reconciliation was reached with the local population. In its own workshop, the ironworks produced a wide range of iron items and machines for household and agricultural use, including turbines for sawmills and mills. The completion of the Saimaa Canal in 1856 also boosted trade with the new capital, St. Petersburg. By the end of the 19th century, Strömsdalsbruk–Juantehdas was considered one of the best-managed industrial facilities in Finland.

Baron Anton von Alftan purchased the ironworks in 1904. The price of iron made from lake ore had declined, which contributed to a shift in production focus under his leadership. On the opposite bank from the ironworks, a groundwood mill was first built, followed a few years later by cardboard production. This operation was continued from 1915 onward by the Kymi company. In the early 1970s, Juantehdas was developed into a producer of high-quality folding boxboard suitable for graphic purposes. Kymi-Kymmene sold Juantehdas to Stromsdal Oy in 1988, and product development continued—particularly toward producing environmentally friendly cardboard intended for food packaging. The product development was successful, but the financial investments required not only for R&D but also for modern coating machines and finishing were so large that, during the recession of 2008, the company went bankrupt. About three years later, the factory was acquired by Premium Board Finland Oy.

The framework of historical life is still clearly visible in the ironworks area. To preserve and develop the area, a non-profit limited company, Pukkikallion Kehitys Oy, was established. The new private owners of the Patruuna Hill Manor are also involved in the development of the area.