Highlights

History

The Makers of Industry exhibition at the Varkaus Museum Center Konsti showcases how a small metalworking settlement surrounded by rapids and forests evolved into a unique hub of mechanical, technological, and forest-based industries.

Varkaus’ location among waterways enabled access from great distances. The region was used early on for wilderness expeditions and slash-and-burn farming. Its strategic position at the intersection of water routes made Varkaus important from a military standpoint. During the Swedish rule, a naval base called Laivalinna was established there. This military presence gradually gave rise to a small settlement of soldiers, merchants, and craftsmen. Visitors can explore this period of military history through a virtual presentation.

Following the military era, industry recognized the area’s hydropower potential and vast nearby forests in the 1800s. In 1815, Baron Gustav Wrede received permission from the Senate to establish an ironworks in Varkaus. In addition to foundry and machine shop industries, the city became known for shipbuilding, at one time operating two shipyards.

Varkaus’ industrial boom began in the early 1900s when the factories were acquired by A. Ahlström Corporation. The range of industries expanded from metal to wood and paper production. Ahlström pursued a vision of building a city centered around industry. Varkaus became an independent market town in 1929 and gained city status in 1962. Industry has profoundly shaped the city’s development. Esteemed architects across different decades, such as Valter and Ivar Thomé, Karl Lindahl, and Alvar Aalto, contributed to creating a modern urban landscape.

At Konsti Museum Center, visitors can also explore the development of the surrounding Old Varkaus district and the lives of people who lived around the factory, as well as the everyday life of the industrial community. The residential area began to take shape in the early 1900s as the industry built homes for its workers. These dwellings were placed hierarchically around the factory, with the factory school—now the Konsti Museum—at the center. The exhibition includes, for example, an authentically decorated 1920s worker’s home interior.

Varkaus still hosts international industrial enterprises. Today’s production and future innovations of Varkaus-based companies are displayed alongside the area’s 200-year industrial history.

Konsti’s art exhibitions feature rotating shows as well as works from the collection of art patron Rakel Kansanen, displayed in a 20th-century-inspired interior. Kansanen, a native of nearby Leppävirta, assembled a unique collection of Finnish art during her lifetime. Highlights include works by Tyko Sallinen, Anton Lindforss, Jalmari Ruokokoski, Helene Schjerfbeck, and Wäinö Aaltonen. She had a remarkable ability to form personal connections with artists and cultural figures. In 1947, she bequeathed her art collection to the town of Varkaus.

Rakel Kansanen was described as a cosmopolitan, multilingual woman, an artistic spirit, and a cultural radical. Professionally, she translated literature and was married to Urho Toivola, a former diplomat.

Konstin taidenäyttelyissä pääsee nauttimaan vaihtuvien näyttelyiden lisäksi taidemesenaatti Rakel Kansasen keräämästä kokoelmasta 1900-luvun henkeen sisustetussa interiöörissä. Rakel Kansanen oli Varkauden vieressä Leppävirralla syntynyt taidekeräilijä, joka keräsi eläessään ainutlaatuisen taidekokoelman, jonka tähtinä loistavat kuvataiteilijat Tyko Sallinen, Anton Lindforss, Jalmari Ruokokoski, Helene Schjerfbeck, Wäinö Aaltonen. Kansasella oli erinomainen kyky luoda oma, henkilökohtainen verkostonsa taiteilija- ja kulttuuripersoonien yhteyteen. Kansanen testamenttasi taidekokoelmansa Varkauden kauppalalle vuonna 1947.

Persoonana Rakel Kansasen kuvailtiin olleen kielitaitoinen maailmannainen, taiteilijasielu ja kulttuuriradikaali. Työkseen hän teki kaunokirjallisuuden käännöksiä ja oli diplomaattina toimineen Urho Toivolan puoliso.