Pre-event for European Industrial Heritage Week

Industrial tourism brings together companies from the industrial, tourism and creative sectors in a new way in Northern Savo. Come and find out about the ‘Development of Industrial Tourism in Northern Savo’ project and help brainstorm services based on Varkaus’s industrial heritage and active industrial sector. Industrial tourism can be used to highlight companies’ operations, strengthen their social responsibility and offer services based on cultural heritage to both international tourists and local residents.   

The event is organised in collaboration with Navitas Kehitys Oy and Savonia University of Applied Sciences. 

Advance registration is required for the event.

On Friday 11 September and Saturday 12 September 2026, from 10.30 am to 2.00 pm, at Restaurant Kaks Ruusu: ‘The People’s Kitchen Lunch’. The finer side of the dining room is reserved for ‘leisurely lunches’, whilst the café side – the ‘people’s side’ – is set aside for a quick bite to eat.   

Friday’s menu features Kansankeittiö’s meatballs, boiled potatoes and cabbage casserole with lingonberry jam. The soup of the day is vendace soup, accompanied, of course, by bread and spreads, and a generous salad bar. For dessert, there’s coffee or tea and lingonberry porridge. 

Friday’s lunch costs €14.50.  

Saturday’s menu features Karelian roast, boiled potatoes and pan-fried perch fillets. The soup is macaroni soup, served with bread and spreads, and a generous salad bar. For dessert, there’s coffee or tea and French toast. 

Saturday’s lunch costs €25.00. 

The menu is subject to change. 

During lunch, there will be stories about the history of Kansankeittiö and Kaks Ruusu. Live music will also be on offer. 

Table bookings are recommended; Pekka is available on 0400-460085 

At the Taipale Canal Museum.

The Taipale Canal Museum is situated in Varkaus, in the Taipale Canal area. The Taipale Canal, which forms part of the Vuoksi waterway system and the Northern Savo waterway route, is a functioning deep-water canal. The area also features a museum canal, completed in 1840. 

The canal museum’s permanent exhibition, Via Canalia, tells the story of canal construction and water transport in Northern Savo. During a visit to the museum, you can also explore the Taipale Canal area, the museum canal and the deep-water canal currently in operation. The history of the canal is presented both at the canal museum and on the information boards along the Canal Trail, which circles the area. Taipale’s guest harbour is situated upstream of the canal. 

‘Pahvinaamari – Shadows and Self-Portraits from the Past’ by shadow artist Paula Vilmi 

On the upper floor of the Taipale Canal Museum, there is an art exhibition by shadow artist Paula Vilmi, drawing on her own experiences and those gathered from young people, which explores the themes of school bullying and mental health. 

You now have the chance to learn about the history of the Taipale canal area, guided by the Via Canalia exhibition, in very special company. What happens when the noble Baroness Boije meets Hiskias Kolari, a down-to-earth barge operator, on the Taipale Canal? Varkaus has always been home to people from all walks of life, and they’ve had to get on with one another. Come and experience how the gentry and the common folk met and lived side by side at this transport hub on Lake Saimaa. 

Free admission! 

The Taipale Canal Museum is not wheelchair accessible. 

Further information: johanna.aho@varkaus.fi  

Konsti Museum Centre / Hall  

At the literary evening organised as a prelude to European Industrial Heritage Week, author Petri Kervola will talk about his novel *Warkautelaisia*. 

“The grim history of the Varkaus region is depicted in the novel *Warkautelaisia* as a broad arc spanning time. The oldest layer of the work is set during the famine of 1868 and the construction of the Taipale Canal, which is depicted through the eyes of Juho, who arrives on an emergency work assignment. In the spring of 1868, nearly 300 people in the region died of starvation and disease.  

Half a century later, Varkaus was ravaged by the Civil War, during and after which the town witnessed the tragically infamous mass executions known as the ‘Huruslahti Lottery’. The protagonist of this story is Mikko, Juho’s 16-year-old son, who was involved in the activities of the Red Guard. 

The third time period is set on 16 August 1968, a day in late summer. At that time, the town was growing rapidly and the Kaleva Games were being held there. The event finally brought the divided city’s residents together. The story’s protagonist is 10-year-old Markus, whose life is overshadowed by the mystery surrounding his grandfather Mikko’s death. 

The historical timeframes converge on 8 October 2018, just before the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. That year, in a city in decline, the events of 1918 were being addressed in many different ways.  

The protagonist is Markus, who, over the course of a single day, confronts the burden of the past and is forced to reflect on his relationship with his work, his parents and his own daughter. On the same day, the IPCC’s climate report was also published, placing these events in a new context and raising the question of what our future will look like 50 years from now. 

Petri Kervola, the author of this novel which explores the transmission of intergenerational trauma and its impact on the local community, lives in Kuopio and works as an account manager for the City of Kuopio. He holds a Master’s degree in Arts Management.” 

The hall is accessible. An induction loop is available in the hall.  

Free admission! 

Further information: konsti@varkaus.fi 

Organised by the Varkaus Museum Centre Konsti

Departure from the Konsti Museum Centre 

To begin with, the guide will show you the highlights of the exhibition on Alvar Aalto at the Konsti Museum Centre in Varkaus. Using virtual reality headsets, you’ll be able to step into some of Aalto’s ambitious, partly unrealised plans for Varkaus. The guide will also hand out ‘Alvar Aalto in Varkaus’ maps to participants, which you can use to follow the sites during the bus tour. The actual city tour begins in front of Konsti, aboard the museum bus from the Varkaus Bus Museum. We’ll first drive to Männikkö, built in 1947 for the factory doctor, and take a look at the building from the outside. From Männikkö, we’ll continue via the site of the Varkaus house factory to view the Könönpelto model houses on both the south and north sides of the railway line. On the south side, weather permitting, we can get off the bus to admire the houses from Veljeskatu. On the north side, meanwhile, the rows of houses illustrate Aalto’s approach to urban planning. All the homes in Könönpelto are privately occupied, and we will respect the peace and quiet of their residents throughout the tour. Whilst moving between the sites, the guide will share information and stories about other examples of Alvar Aalto’s work in Varkaus and lead you back to Konsti. The tour lasts just under 1.5 hours. 

Your tour ticket also includes access to the other exhibitions at the Konsti Museum Centre. You can use your guided tour ticket to explore these at your own pace before the Aalto tour begins. Further information
 
: https://visitvarkaus.fi/fi/alvaraalto 

Tickets can be purchased here. Tickets can also be purchased from the Konsti Museum Centre in Varkaus during its opening hours, at Satakunnankatu 1.

Subject to a charge

This traditional steamboat cruise offers a unique opportunity to travel back in time and experience Varkaus’s industrial history whilst taking in the scenery of Lake Saimaa. The ship is still powered by birch logs, just as it was originally. The cruises last approximately 1.5 hours. 

Further information: https://visitvarkaus.fi/fi/sivu/ss-warkaus-vii 

Subject to a fee

Konsti Museum Centre 

As part of the pre-events for European Industrial Heritage Week, the Konsti Museum Centre is offering a free guided tour of the ‘Makers of Industry’ exhibition. 

During the tour, we’ll delve into the history of the industrial community and expertise in the Varkaus area, from the days of the Laivalinna naval base right up to the present day. The tour lasts approximately 45 minutes. 

Konsti is fully accessible. 

Free admission! 

Further information: konsti@varkaus.fi 

Konsti Museum Centre, Varkaus 

As part of the European Week of Industrial Heritage pre-events, the Konsti Museum Centre is offering a free ‘Old Varkaus’ walking tour: along Koulutie. 

Come and learn about the history of schooling in Varkaus! When did Varkaus get its first school? How did the surrounding industrial town influence the area’s schools and their development? And how has school life changed over the last 150 years? 

The walking tour takes participants around the old Tehtaan school and ends at the Varkaus Museum Centre Konsti. The tour is approximately one kilometre long and lasts one hour. So come and join us on Koulutie! 

The tour starts at the Varkaus Museum Centre Konsti, Satakunnankatu 1, 78300 Varkaus. 

Subject to weather conditions. 

Free entry! 

Further information: senja.evesti@varkaus.fi

This traditional steamboat cruise offers a unique opportunity to travel back in time and experience Varkaus’s industrial history whilst taking in the scenery of Lake Saimaa. The ship is still powered by birch logs, just as it was originally. The cruises last approximately 1.5 hours. 

Further information: https://visitvarkaus.fi/fi/sivu/ss-warkaus-vii 

Subject to a fee