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Founded: 1746Category: Industrial sites in Finland
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment (Finland)
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In 1746 Brynolf Brunou was granted to establish an ironworks to the Juankoski rapids. Juankoski was in the periphery of Sweden borderlands with no roads or cities. Water routes were the only way to transport goods. Juankoski became the only ironworks in Finland which used only the bog iron to manufacture different kind of tools.
The heyday of Juankoski was between 1851 and 1900 when it was owned by Anastasia Ponomareva, a Russian aristocrat. In her time the manufacturing process became more efficient and better transport routes were built to ship products. The village around grown to 1,000 inhabitants. The iron manufacturing ended in 1915 when Juankoski was acquired by Kemi Oy and moved to carton mill.
The ironworks area is a well-preserved sample of the industrialism history in Finland. The oldest building is the empire-style mansion built in 1826. The blast furnace is today a museum exhibiting the life of the ironworks society. There are also a bakery, cafe and handicraft shops. Guided walking tours are available in summer season.
Sirmione castle was built near the end of the 12th century as part of a defensive network surrounding Verona. The castle was maintained and extended first as part of the Veronese protection against their rivals in Milan and later under the control of the Venetian inland empire. The massive fortress is totally surrounded by water and has an inner porch which houses a Roman and Medieval lapidary. From the drawbridge, a staircase leads to the walkways above the walls, providing a marvellous view of the harbour that once sheltered the Scaliger fleet. The doors were fitted with a variety of locking systems, including a drawbridge for horses, carriages and pedestrians, a metal grate and, more recently, double hinged doors. Venice conquered Sirmione in 1405, immediately adopting provisions to render the fortress even more secure, fortifying its outer walls and widening the harbour.
Thanks to its strategical geographical location as a border outpost, Sirmione became a crucial defence and control garrison for the ruling nobles, retaining this function until the 16th century, when its role was taken up by Peschiera del Garda.