From “Malavi” to “Sukuna” - A Story of Iron

(malavi = ore in the form of limonite, sukuna = the pig iron extracted from malavi - these were special jargon used by the workers in their Karelian dialect, unknown elsewhere)

Pig iron from limonite

Pig iron was refined from limonite in Möhkö ironworks from 1849-1908. The ironworks was once Finland’s greatest producer of iron and provided jobs to hundreds of people.  Limonite was extracted from the bottom of lakes with the help of ferries. The ore was melted down into iron in the blast furnaces. When the iron was ready, it was transported to the ironworks of Värtsilä for further processing or to foundries in Saint Petersburg.

The exhibition, From “Malavi” to “Sukuna” - A Story of Iron, uses small, illustrative models to tell the story of iron and how it starts from the extracting of ores to them being melted down.

In the Hall of Pytinki you can relive the afternoon leisures of the ironworks gentry and little travellers get to experience the joys of an old-fashioned playroom.