Finlandssvenska tekniker -kirjasarja osana suomalaista tekniikan henkilöhistoriaa

Authors

• Johan Stén

Abstract

The Finlandssvenska tekniker book series: A contribution to the Finnish biographical history of technology

In 1923, 1924 and 1925, three books containing original biographical articles in Swedish were published, portraying some 32 distinguished Swedish-speaking engineers and inventors in Finland. The Finlandssvenska tekniker book series, initiated and edited by Finnish poet and engineer Jonatan Reuter, provides a unique view of the state of technology, technical education and economy in the early days of industrialisation in Finland. In 2003, 2005, and 2007, the series was continued by three volumes, providing 35 new biographies of Swedishspeaking Finns having made significant contributions to technology. The persons described in the books range from industrial leaders, civil engineers and architects to professors and entrepreneurs. Many of the biographies suggest that the Swedish-speaking Finns have been particularly prone to travel abroad and to apply the new ideas and knowledge they have acquired. Furthermore, their success was often due to the vast Russian market, which lied open for the Finns before the Russian revolution.