Cultural heritage area at the river Kimo. Site of the iron works that functioned in the area from 1703 until the late 1800s.

• Open in summertime. At other times by appointment.
• Entry fee.
• Guided tours.
• Café.

More information

The Kimo Iron Works was founded in 1703. At the turn of the 18th century iron was a merchandise in demand, which was needed for building and the production of weapons. For the Sweden-Finland union, iron was a very important export commodity.

PRODUCTION OF IRON

Kimo was a suitable location for an iron works: fuel (forests) and water power were available for the production of iron. The raw material, iron ore, was shipped to Kimo from mines in Roslagen and a mine on the Utö island outside of Stockholm. The ships called at Oravais harbour and the ore was brought by horse and cart to the smelting furnace. In the furnace the ore was put in layers with charcoal and limestone. In the heat of the oven the mixture melted into a red-hot iron pulp. When the pulp was cast into crude iron, blue-green slag pebbles were the by-product. The pebbles have been used as road filling material on most village roads in Oravais! Today the blue-green slag pebbles are made into fine pieces of jewellery.

From the smelting furnace the crude iron was taken to the iron works. The iron was transported either by horse and cart or on a barge along the river Kimo.

The Kimo Iron Works included three hammersmith's workshops: the Lower Mill, the Middle Mill and the Upper Mill (Kyroboas). In the workshops the crude iron was heated until it was malleable. With large tilthammers the iron was forged into long bars. The tilthammers were operated with water power. The smiths stamped the iron bars with the emblem of the iron works, KB, before the iron was taken to the harbour. It was then shipped to the iron market place in Stockholm for a quality check. The KB emblem was held in good repute in the iron market.

The end of the 19th century brought with it many technical and industrial changes. Production based on water power and charcoal was destined to come to an end. Kimo Iron Works was turned into an electricity power station and two of the hammersmith's workshops were turned into a saw mill and a flour mill respectively.

Since the late 1980s Kimo Iron Works has served as a museum run by the Oravais Local History Society.

THE MUSEUM AREA

The Lower Mill is the centre of the museum. The bottom floor houses an exhibition about the iron works. The top floor houses an art gallery. The iron works shop sells handicraft produced in Oravais. Several hiking paths also set out from the Lower Mill. Smithwork courses are held several times a year. The smith Ejnar's cottage has been turned into a café and the "master's residence" offers space for courses and receptions. Dancing and various functions are held in the park surrounding the works every summer. The park with its dams and rapids is a unique cultural environment in Ostrobothnia.

The large saw mill at the Middle Mill is a handsome cultural monument. The saw is positioned on the great stone foundation of the hammersmithy.

Theatre performances are held in the Upper Mill - Kyroboas - during the summer.

The establishment of Kimo Iron Works in 1703 marked the beginning of industrialisation in Ostrobothnia. About 150 years later the iron trade was gradually transformed into a textile industry.