For almost a century, from the 1880s to the 1970s, the Porras Leather Workshop manufactured leather and various leather products, such as footwear and horse harness. After the end of operations, the building remained almost unused for decades. However, all the machines and equipment used in leather processing, as well as the tools of shoemakers and saddlers – a total of over 600 items – were preserved.

Today, the workshop houses a museum that presents the leather industry and the lives of tanners in the past. The museum premises still have in their original places, among other things, old tanning vats, a Voima steam engine from 1910, a sole leather iron, a glazing machine, tanner’s perches, sewing machines and countless smaller tools. Porras Leather Workshop is known to be the only museum in our country presenting the leather industry of its era and size and is in its original location. The preserved ensemble is unique in our country.

The museum building also houses a restaurant, which is open during the summer and all year round by appointment. The atmospheric space is also well suited for organizing various parties and meetings. It is also possible to stay in the courtyard. The former residential building for the leather workshop employees has been renovated into spacious apartments for accommodation.

The leather workshop is in the idyllic village of Porras, whose history is known since the 15th century, and whose beautiful landscapes have been immortalized by numerous artists over the centuries. The clean-water Turpoonjoki River flows next to the leather workshop, and the centuries-old Hämeen Härkätie also runs through the village.