Highlights

History

Old Kauttua – At the Heart of Hydropower

Old Kauttua has developed over the course of 320 years around iron and paper processing. However, over a thousand years ago, Kauttua was already a significant settlement, as evidenced by the largest Viking-era burial site in the Nordic countries, Luistari. Before iron production, in the 1500s, the rapids of the Eurajoki river, which runs through Kauttua, provided power to grain mills.

The mill rights and control of the rapids belonged to Baron Lorenz Creutz, who was experienced in ironmaking in Central Europe. Creutz was the governor of the Turku and Pori region as well as the head of Finland’s mining operations. When the nearby forests provided wood for charcoal production and farmers were available to work alongside blacksmiths, the conditions for iron production were met.

In 1689, the Mining College granted Creutz the privilege to establish an ironworks. However, an iron furnace was not built in Kauttua; initially, iron was brought from Teijo and later from Sweden in the form of pig iron.

From Iron to Paper and Packaging

Later, iron was also sourced from Kullaa’s Leineper to be forged in Kauttua. The ironworks continued under the leadership of the Timm and Falck families after Creutz. The production peaked in the mid-19th century when Kauttua was the country’s leading producer of bar iron.

With the construction of a bundle hammer next to the bar hammer, thin rods and nails were also produced. Other products included hoof irons, chains, and horseshoes.

In 1873, the Satakunta-based businessman Antti Ahlström purchased the Kauttua ironworks. By the end of the century, as the iron production technology in Kauttua became outdated and the market tightened, the ironworks declined. Agricultural production started generating more income than iron production. Alongside iron production, wood processing began to develop in the early 20th century, initially with sawmilling and later with paper production in various forms.

The Ironworks Park Opens to the Public

In 1989, the area had been industrially active for 300 years. The old ironworks village began to open up more to visitors from outside the ironworks area. In collaboration with the municipality of Eura, the industry, and other parties, the environment and tourism were developed. The Pyhäjärvi Institute was founded in the area. In the 1990s, the industry was incorporated, and in 1992, a Finnish-Japanese thermal paper company, Jujo Thermal Oy, was established.

Kauttua is a unique location in Finland, as industry has operated continuously in the area for over 330 years. Together with Eura, Kauttua forms one of Finland’s most industrialized growth regions today.

Eura has been part of the Alvar Aalto Cities Network since 2017. The goal of the network is to increase awareness of Aalto’s work both in Finland and abroad. The Alvar Aalto Route was selected as the first cultural route from Finland by the Council of Europe, and Kauttua’s Aalto sites are part of this prestigious route. In 2024, Kauttua Ironworks Park joined the Industrial Heritage Route.