Verla Groundwood and Board Mill

Verla Groundwood and Board Mill

Located in the municipality of Kouvola, in the Kymenlaakso region of Finland. Verla Groundwood and Board Mill became Finland’s first factory museum in 1972. The museum is owned and managed by UPM.

• The Verla groundwood and board mill is a unique, small-scale industrial complex from the early years of the Finnish wood processing industry. Within its rural setting, the area includes mills, power plants and workers’ housing. Verla was inscribed in 1996.
• The Verla groundwood mill was founded in 1872 by the engineer Hugo Neuman. After only four years, the wooden mill burnt down. Operations soon began again when a new company was established in 1882. The new groundwood and board mill was also from wood, but after the drying loft was destroyed by fire in 1892, it was replaced by the present four-storey, ornamental red-brick building. This was designed by the architect Carl Eduard Dippell. The ever-present danger of fire led to brick walls being erected around the wooden mill building in 1895.
• In 1922 the mill was taken over by the Kymmene Company and only closed down in 1964. The buildings, together with their machines and fixtures, were left intact. In 1972, a century after its foundation, it was opened as a museum.
• Verla has something for everyone, from couples and families with children to school and work groups.

How to get there?

• The Verla World Heritage site is located in the village of Verla, a 32-kilometre drive from the centre of Kouvola.
• You can reach Verla by car or taksi from Kouvola train station. On summer weekends there’s also a bus connection.
• Verla can also be reached from Repovesi National Park by water.
• Get direction button on this page will guide you to your destination using google Maps.

World Heritage in Finland

• Unesco approved the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972. The World Heritage Convention is a global decision to promote the treasuring and preservation of unique cultural and natural heritage for future generations. In Finland there is seven World Heritage sites.