When it comes to the material benefits for employees, one can only hope that they all receive the same care as in Tervakoski.

Inspection of the Intendant in Tervakoski 1860, Janakkala before and now III

Tervakoski was already a mill village in the Middle Ages, but the area began to develop into its current dimensions when a paper mill was established by the rapids in 1818. The community breathed and grew in time with the factory. As the factory expanded, it needed workers for various tasks, from paper production to local maintenance. The workers, in turn, needed housing, schools for their children, and activities in their free time. The factory was involved in many aspects; it built residential houses for both the workforce and retirees, supported private home building, established schools, participated in the construction of a church, offered cultivation plots, hired a nurse and a doctor, and took care of cultural activities. The center of social life was the magnificent Seurahuone, which, much to the dismay of fans of wooden architecture, was demolished in 1963 to make way for the Seuratalo. The Seuratalo, which also proudly represents the stylish architecture of its time, was a place for recreation, studying in adult education courses, theater performances, and art exhibitions. Among other things, there was a cinema and a bowling alley.

Tervakoski became a unique and self-sufficient community, where a very lively social and cultural life was celebrated. When both the birch for the whips and the Christmas tree could be fetched from the factory’s forest, the people of Tervakoski used the word “our” to actually refer to the factory’s property. *)

Today, Tervakoski Oy, which focuses on high-quality specialty papers, is the oldest still-operating paper mill in Finland. The factory, employing 330 people, still owns land and properties, such as the Tervakoski fire station and the buildings of the Officer’s Club. It has donated the swimming hall and Seuratalo to the municipality for community use.

The distinctive old residential areas of Tervakoski, such as the charming wooden house area named Berlin or the stone houses of Paris, not to mention the red-brick factory dominating the village center, tell a history that makes Tervakoski a unique place to live and thrive.

*) Tellervo Sillantie, Janakkala before and now XXIX