Workers Residental Area
A village emerged around the Verla Groundwood Mill and Cardboard Factory at the end of the 19th century, featuring various types of residences, from small crofts to large residential barracks. Houses were built both by the workers and the factory company. In 1896, the Verla factory company purchased the Ojasela estate, whose main buildings were located about three kilometers from the factory. The factory wished to acquire the shore area of Verlankoski on the Valkeala side, which belonged to the estate. Employees built their cottages on the factory's land. In the 1910s, the factory began to buy back the workers' cottages built on its lands. The employees were allowed to continue living in the cottages rent-free. All but one of the cottages were sold to the factory. The Valkeala side of Verla village has thus been well preserved in its authentic state and is today an important part of the Verla World Heritage Site. The workers' residential area tells the story of the lives of the factory employees.
Kymiyhtiö (Kymi Company) established a holiday village for its employees in Verla in 1967, three years after the groundwood mill and cardboard factory ceased operations. The Verla holiday village was available for the employees of all Kymiyhtiö factories and their families. Visitors came from as far as Heinola and Kotka. Only a few residences were in use during the first summer. For the following summer in 1968, more former factory workers' residences were renovated, and four new holiday cottages were built. By the summer of 1969, another four new cottages were completed; these are still available for rent by Verla visitors today and are known as the Raili-Kaarina cottages. After the completion of the cottages named Tuomi (Bird Cherry), Haapa (Aspen), Pihlaja (Rowan), and Paju (Willow), the holiday village had accommodation for over 100 guests.
The Verla Factory Museum opened in 1972, and its operations were naturally connected to the company's existing holiday village in Verla. According to the holiday village employees, the cottages were always full in the summer, and there would have been more guests than there was space to accommodate. In addition to summer vacationers, many people visited the holiday village for courses and meetings organized by the company, especially in the spring and autumn.
Various activities were organized at the holiday village. The "Barn Dances" of the holiday village were held in the "Barn of Joy" (Riemuriihi), which was the factory's former glue storage: records were played, and sometimes someone might bring an accordion. Later, the dance orchestra Hugo Mullqvist often performed at the dances. Water was an important element in the holiday village. Every cottage had its own designated rowing boat, and Verla had good swimming beaches. Vacationers rowed and fished. People spent a lot of time outdoors at the holiday village. There was a volleyball court, games, sports equipment, and later also a tennis court. Vacationers also walked on nature trails in the forest. The holiday village employed instructors who planned sports-oriented activities.
In addition to the instructors, the holiday village employed a housekeeper, cooks, waitstaff, cleaners, and outdoor workers. The holiday village operated with about ten employees. The supervisor of the holiday village employees was the Kymi Company's social manager. After the first summer of the holiday village, there had been complaints about the lack of a shared dining hall. This was desired because it 'gave family mothers the opportunity to spend their holiday without the worry of cooking.' A café was renovated for the holiday village in the factory's väentupa (workers' meeting house), at the end of the polishing wing, and dining facilities were prepared in the patruunan pytinki (the boss's residence/mansion). The patruunan pytinki also served as a training space for courses. At that time, the village had a shop, and a mobile shop visited three times a week.
The staff holiday village operations ceased on December 31, 2006, and since the summer season of 2007, the holiday cottages have been available for rent by everyone.
The oldest building in the area is Lipun torppa (Lippu's Croft), where visitors can see an exhibition about workers' housing during the summer. Read about Lipun torppa here.