Fiskars ( Swedish; ) is a village, now part of the town of

Raseborg Raseborg (; , ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Raseborg is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Raseborg is approximately , while the Raseborg sub-region, sub-region has a popul ...

, in western

Uusimaa Uusimaa (; , ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, Helsinki, alo ...

, Finland. The village is the site of the former Fiskars Bruk, which was founded in 1649 and gave rise to the company Fiskars. The most notable architectural attraction of Fiskars is a mansion designed in 1818 by Italian-born architect Charles Bassi. The village, which has less than 1000 inhabitants, is a popular tourist destination in summer, and hosts an

artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...

and artist community. The river Fiskarså (Swedish), Fiskarinjoki or Fiskarsinjoki (Finnish) has contributed to the industrialisation of the village.

History

The village of Fiskars developed around the

ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...

founded by German-born Petter Thorwöste in 1649. The ironworks also produced copper. In 1822, John Jacob von Julin bought the ironworks and founded a fine production facility in 1830 and Finland's first workshop in 1836. The development of the industrial community was fast, and the factories and workshops produced utility items from scissors and puukko knives to ploughs and power transmission devices. To transport the products, a narrow-gauge railroad from Fiskars to the Pohjankuru harbour was in use from 1891 to 1952. The history of the Fiskars company begins from the Fiskars Bruk, but the company no longer has active factories in the village.

Current situation

Nowadays, the factory is a lively centre of Finnish art and design. There are about 600 people living in the factory area and it is very popular among artists, artisans and designers. Especially in summer, the Fiskars Bruk is a popular tourist destination. Also in winter, various exhibitions and conference, accommodation and restaurant services, as well as workshops and shops provide things to see and experience. In 2019, the village launched a new festival, the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale. Several leading Finnish designers and design brands are based in the Fiskars village, including Kim Simonsson, Karin Widnäs, Nikari and Feathr.

Sport

Fiskars hosted the inaugural World Orienteering Championships, 1–2 October 1966.

References

External links

Official site

Porvoo & Fiskars: idyllic & creative towns near Helsinki
– Visit Finland {{Authority control Villages in Uusimaa Raseborg Populated places established in 1649 1649 establishments in Sweden