History and today

Leineperi Ironworks, also known as Fredriksfors Ironworks, was founded in 1771 on the banks of the Katokoski rapids in the Kullaanjoki River. The mill combined water power, local charcoal production, and a reasonable distance to the seashore for ore transport.

The mill experienced its heyday in the 1860s, when it was one of the largest producers of pig iron in Finland. At that time, Leineperi produced and processed pig iron for a variety of purposes.

The last blast furnace operations at the mill took place in 1891, and iron processing ceased altogether in 1902. In the following decades, the area was used for various purposes, including agriculture. The mill was restored for museum and recreational use between 1988 and 1994.

Today, Leineperin Ironworks is one of the best preserved and most complete ironworks complexes in Finland. The area includes one of only three surviving blast furnaces in Finland. The mill's numerous buildings are situated in a uniquely beautiful river landscape, intertwined with the village settlement of Leineperi and surrounded by verdant nature.