Helsinki (News release) -- The Unesco World Heritage Site Verla has completed the nearly two-year restoration project of the old main building, Patruunan Pytinki, and the building will be opened to the public. Visitors to Patruunan Pytinki can now also admire selected works of art from the UPM-Kymmene Cultural Foundation.

The Verla Mill, owned and maintained by UPM, is one of Finland's seven Unesco World Heritage Sites. Located in Kouvola, Kymenlaakso region, the site includes a wood mill and cardboard factory dating back to the late 19th century, the manor-like Patruunan Pytinki with its surrounding park, and the residential area originally designed for factory workers and officials on the opposite bank of the river.

Verla is the only World Heritage Site related to the wood processing industry. It is also one of the few World Heritage Sites in the world maintained by a private company. Verla tells its own story of UPM's journey from a forest industry company located along waterways to a global material solutions company.

A stately atmosphere for visitors to this World Heritage Site

Designed by architect Eduard Dippell, Patruunan Pytinki was completed in 1885 as the residence of Verla's factory manager, Gottlieb Kreidl. Kreidl was one of the factory's shareholders and is considered Verla's "true" patron. After him, Pytinki was home to the salaried managers of the Verla factory.

Patruunan Pytinki has now been restored with respect for the building's history and cultural heritage. At the same time, the building has been converted into a versatile restaurant, conference and banquet facility. The former office of the Verla sawmill and cardboard factory, located at the end of Pytinki, will continue to serve as the reception area for the factory museum and World Heritage Site. The 100th Anniversary Foundation of Kymin Osakeyhtiö has supported the restoration project with €550,000. 

"On a tour of the Verla factory, you can sense the everyday history of work in the past. In contrast, Patruunan Pytinki offers a glimpse of the stately atmosphere of the late 19th century," says Ville Majuri, director of the Verla Factory Museum.

Works from the UPM-Kymmene Cultural Foundation on display

Patruunan Pytinki also offers visitors the opportunity to admire selected works from the art collection of the UPM-Kymmene Cultural Foundation. The collection includes works of both artistic and national importance, accumulated over more than a century by UPM-Kymmene's predecessor companies - such as Kymi, United Paper Mills, Rauma-Repola, Schauman, Kajaani, and Kaukas.

Verner Thomé, Landscape from Kuusansaari, 1937, oil on canvas. Picture: UPM-Kymmene Cultural Foundation.

The factory museum is open from the beginning of May to the end of September. In addition to the old machines and cardboard manufacturing secrets of the factory buildings, the visit is complemented by exhibitions, crafts shop, and a new restaurant. You can also see prehistoric rock paintings and take a short forest hike in the area.