Killinkoski Old Factory

The rural village of Killinkoski in southern Finland (300 km north of Helsinki) has been a centre for weaving fine ribbons and tapes since the early twentieth century. Many people still work in the Inka ribbon factory but the Old Factory has become a visitor attraction. It was designed in 1908 by the architect Josef Stenbäck for the company of P. G. Holm, who earlier established a cotton-spinning mill in the village to use waterpower from the fall of 23 m between the Vuolte and Metter lakes. Holm suffered from bad health and his wife’s sister Edith Rönnqvist became the ribbon factory manager – one of the earliest female industrialists in Finland. The museum displays samples of ribbons together with photographs and weaving machines in the original workshops. Also in the Old Factory are other cultural displays, galleries, a camera museum, a factory shop, a popular flea market and a café. Nearby the worker’s houses can be seen.