Möhkö ironworks village as a cultural place and the changing appreciation of natural resources

Authors

• Jukka Sihvonen University of Eastern Finland
• Hilkka Heinonen University of Eastern Finland

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33355/tw.88911

Keywords:

built cultural heritage, environmental law, land usage, tourism, industrial history

Abstract

This article examines the stages of industrial ironworks and the utilization of cultural heritage in a resource-based economic region. In Finland, nowadays numerous ironworks communities are under the protection of the Finnish Heritage Agency. These cultural heritage sites  provides a platform for service industries and their immediate surroundings have potential business opportunities linked in  culture and eco-tourism. But when there are natural resources in the vicinity of the ironworks village their exploitation affects the conditions for cultural and eco-tourism. This article deals  the Möhkö ironworks, whose current state is examined in the light of the cross-cutting objectives of nature and eco-tourism and natural resource companies. The basic question is how can a ironworks community respond to the  land use plans  of resource based economy? The tourism industry utilizes not only cultural history but also the basis of ecosystem services in Möhkö. Ecosystem services, such as small landscapes or recreational use of forests, do not enjoy legal protection. Ecosystem services have become an important part of environmental management. But their environmental-legal predominance over social benefits is different from the legal content of forest, mining, and peat production.

Möhkön Ruukki was in operation from 1838 to 1907 and it is an important part of the history of the Finnish metal industry and rural communities. Möhkö once created a strong bond with the surrounding area. At that time, Ruukki's wood procurement was regulated by Senate licensing practices. After World War II, Möhkö became a remote village on the border between Finland and Russia. However, Ruukki's structures and war memorials remained in the village. Since then, Ruukki's built environment has been protected, and nowadays military-historical sites are being explored and reconstructed as attractions. The key elements of Ruukki Village's vitality are cultural heritage, military-historical sites and Ruukki's nearby natural environment.