Kissakoski

The limited liability company Kissakoski Aktiebolag was founded on 13 August 1907. Its founders were Wilhelm Bensow, Karl Fazer, K.H. Renlund and J.L. Lupander. The next day, 14 August 1907, the company bought five estates with rights to the rapids and the Kissakoski rapids from paper engineer Georg Holm. (Holm had acquired the land in 1900 to establish a paper mill, but never carried out this plan). In March 1908, the company received the right to use Kissakoski hydropower and the Kissakoski company began construction work on a paper mill in Kissakoski, Hirvensalmi, in 1909. Engineer Holm worked as an expert in planning the mill. Later, the plans were modified by the mill's technical director and property manager, Ernst Klaile. The mill was designed to produce natural brown paper and white thin paper, which was used as cigarette paper, for example, as well as coloured, polished paper, which Klaile had become familiar with at the Hovinmaa paper mill.

The paper mill building made of logs and its machinery were destroyed in a fire in the spring of 1920. After the fire, the grinding mill was started as soon as possible. The board had considered building a new paper mill, but ended up buying all the shares in the Verla groundwood and board mill with the insurance money just a few weeks after the fire. At that time, the majority of Verla's shares were owned by Eduard Dippell's widow, Mrs. Dagmar Dippell. Victor Hoving describes the transaction as quite profitable for both parties. The purchase of Verla made Kissakoski a fairly large forest owner.

In the summer of 1922, the shares of Kissakoski were transferred to the Kymi Limited Company. With this transaction, Kymiyhtiö acquired forest land in locations suitable for its wood procurement along the Mäntyharju waterway: the land areas owned by Kissakoski comprised about 3200 hectares and the Verla areas about 8000 hectares. In addition, groundwood of excellent quality was produced in both Kissakoski and Verla.

After the fire, Kissakoski produced 3000-5000 tonnes of groundwood per year, depending on the water level. In 1931, it was decided to harness Kissakoski for the production of electricity, and the power plant started up in 1932. The groundwood mill was still running at some level for 7 years, until it was closed down in 1939. In 1940, Oy Kissakoski Ab was merged with Kymi Ltd., which did not result in a change in the operations, which from 1939 onwards only included the production of electricity. 

Sources:
Hoving, Victor. 1947. Kymin osakeyhtiö 1873-1947, osa I.
Hoving, Victor. 1949. Kymin osakeyhtiö 1873-1947, osa II.