Varkaus | Exploring Finland
Varkaus is an industrial town in Northern Savonia in eastern Finland. This is a town that has developed in the vicinity of the paper mills. The town is the seat of the local municipality, a municipality with a population of around 19.700 inhabitants. About 18.300 of the inhabitants live in the town itself. The municipality is unilingual Finnish speaking and its population lives in an area between the two separate parts of the huge Lake Saimaa, the rapids created here have for a long time powered the paper mills.
A Short History of Varkaus
In 1815, Gustaf Wrede founded Varkaus Bruk, a company town with a focus on its iron mill. Varkaus’ development accelerated with the establishment of Ahlstrom’s paper mill in 1921 and the mill had the largest paper production machine in Europe. The paper mill is today owned by Stora Enso.
Varkaus gained the status of a market town in 1929. A large part of the town had been planned and commissioned by Walter Ahlström and his associates. It would, however, take until 1962 before Varkaus got its town status.
Things to Do and See
Varkaus is a small town where the commercial center around the square Taulumäentori is easy to explore on foot, something that doesn’t take a long time. The streets here are lined with a few shops and restaurants and the waterfronts are never far away. It is, however, the rapids and industrial heritage that are the main attraction. The administrative center on the island of Päiviönsaari is right next to the large paper mill of Stora Enso, but it is also next to the impressive sights of the rapids of Ämmäkoski and Kämärinkoski.
Kämärinsaari
Kämärinsaari is an island between the rapids of Ämmäkoski and Kämärinkoski. It is a green oasis close to the town’s center and offers several views of the rapids and lake landscape. Here you will also find other recreational activities and there is also the beach Kämärin Uimaranta.
Taipale Canal
Adjoining to the Kämerinsaari island is the canal of Taipale. The canal was built in the 1830s and is 500 meters long and has one lock. Today there are actually two canals. There is the operational canal and there is the old canal. Between the two canals is the canal museum, telling both the history of the canal as well as the history of the transports along the local waterways.
How to Get to Varkaus
- Flights: The nearest airport is Varkaus Airport (VRK), just to the south. It has, however, no regular flights. The best option for an airport in the area is probably Kuopio Airport (KUO) to the north.
- Car: Varkaus lies at the intersection of Road 5 and Road 23. To the west is Pieksämäki, to the south Juva, and to the north Kuopio.
- Train: Varkaus is located along the line between Joensuu and Pieksämäki. Connections to cities such as Helsinki, Kuopio, and Oulu are possible in Pieksämäki.
The driving distance from 5 major Finnish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Helsinki – 317 kilometers (3 h 40 min)
- Turku – 453 kilometers (5 h)
- Vaasa – 395 kilometers (4 h 50 min)
- Oulu – 359 kilometers (4 h 10 min)
- Joensuu – 122 kilometers (1 h 40 min)
Looking to Explore more of Finland and Europe?
