This room has a couple of themes. This wall tells the history of the down town of Loviisa and of Laivasilta harbor where the museum is now located. On the other side of the room there is an exhibition of the sea rescue work in Loviisa which is arranged only for this summer. In the middle of the room stands an original saloon of the S/S VIRGO. And behind the saloon there are boards telling the history of Strömfors Ironworks, its harbor in Ahvenkoski and shipyard in Sandholmen island. The former municipality of Ruotsinpyhtää, in which Strömfors ironworks is located, is today part of the town of Loviisa and has a special place in the town’s history.
Please, view the room clockwise starting from this board.
18. “A SHIP COMES LOADED”
The town of Degerby-Loviisa was founded in 1745 to replace the border and staple towns of Vyborg and Hamina which had been lost to Russia under the Treaty of Turku in 1743. The new town, called Loviisa from 1752 onwards, was quite soon given staple rights, i.e. legal privilege to engage in foreign trade. Some of the ships owning merchants decided to leave Hamina and moved into the town. Foreign trade commenced almost immediately and Laivasilta (Ship Pier) with its harbor was established.
Laivasilta harbor and the neighboring Suolatori (Salt Square) formed the commercial center of the town. The harbor became one of the most important ports in Finland specializing in the export of timber products and tar, and especially in the import of salt. The ships that sailed to the Mediterranean as well as to South and Middle American ports carried also some luxury items to Loviisa such as wines, spices and coffee.
This part of the exhibition shows the grounds of Laivasilta, the pier and the nearby agricultural areas with their different functions from the 18th to 20th century. Photos “now and then” are used to illustrate how the area has changed along the years.
Pictures: G.S. Sergejev, Loviisa from the sea in 1809, a copy of the watercolor painting of “Laivasilta” harbor and pier – and a detail from a map made by Barck in 1832. Loviisa town museum.
18. IMPORTANT PIERS DURING THE 18th AND 19th CENTURY
A loading pier was located a few hundred meters to the north from the current Laivasilta harbor. This was used by the Swedish Crown from about 1750 until 1800. The pier was 21 meters long and in the middle of the pier there was a Chalk House standing on stilts. The pier was mainly used for loading building materials and large quantities of chalk which was used during the building of Svartholm sea fortress.
Laivasilta was the town’s first actual harbor pier. There seems to have been another pier in the same place before the town of Loviisa was founded, which was used by fishing farmers. Laivasilta pier was cruicial for seafaring, and it became one of the most prominent salt-importing ports in Finland. The salt import reached as hich as 10,000 – 15,000 barrels a year. The salt was warehoused in more than 50 salt barns before being further transported inland.
However, the harbor area was very shallow, and therefore, already in 1765, some of the port functions were moved to Tullisilta – half a mile south of Laivasilta. After this change Laivasilta harbor was mainly used by smaller salt ships and fishing vessels.
The pier by the lime burning factory was situated at the end of Polttimokuja – between Laivasilta and Tullisilta – and can be seen in the Breitholz’ map from 1785.
Tullisilta (the customs pier) had a new pier built in 1765. Since the customs house in Laivasilta harbor was only temporary, a new Customs House was built on Tullisilta in 1773.
Further to the south in Kuismoniemi there was a rope makers site during 1750-1850 and a brickyard at the beginning of 1800.
18. THE MILL RIDGE AND THE OLD CEMETERY
The Mill Ridge (Myllyharju), that was formed during the ice age, runs parallel to Loviisa Bay and the coastline. The early town houses were built with trees from Mill Ridge. Therefore, in the 18th century and in the beginning of the 19th century the ridge was treeless and had about ten windmills.
In the end of the 19th century the terrain in the ridge needed to be improved for the visitors of the Loviisa spa. Paths for promenades and horse carriage rides were built on the ridge. In 1891, a pavilion was built on the ridge to provide comfortable facilities and services for spa visitors. The pavilion stood in the same place where the mill stands today. In 1882 the town administration decided to plant forest trees on the stony and treeless ridge.
The old graveyard on the east side of the ridge was established in 1748 with an oblong shape due to the surrounding terrain. Because it was established in the early years of the town construction, it became the first graveyard in Finland which was located separated from the church. Usually, the deceased were buried under the church floor or around the church. The fencing of the graveyard was destroyed during the war of 1788-1790 and a new stonewall was built in 1794.
The congregation had earlier buried the deceased in the municipality of Pernaja, but from the 1750s they could also be buried in Degerby-Loviisa graveyard. Among the first to be buried in the old graveyard were vicar David Starck (1750 – 1778) and merchant Unonius, who built a burial chapel for his family in 1774. Both graves have been preserved and can be found next to the former main gate.
General Map. Russian Engineer Command in Loviisa. 1810-1820. Loviisa town Museum.
Photo. The burial chapel of Unonius. Old Graveyard. Mimosa Elo: 2019.
Photo. Tobacco field. From the collection of Eddie Bruce.
18. THE TOWN GARDENS
Interest in gardens and garden planning aroused in Finland in the 18th century. The most important sources of inspiration were Carl von Linné from Sweden and Per Kahn, who worked as a professor in Turku and who founded a new botanical garden there in 1757. Inspiration was also sought from Sveaborg and Svartholm fortresses, where new plant species had been brought and planted earlier.
The town garden was established in Loviisa already in the 1750s, soon after the founding of the town. The area is clearly shown in the maps south of the distillery. A town gardener was employed, and the name of the first gardener was appropriately Anders Blomgren (the sure name meaning “a branch of a flour”). He was followed by gardeners Gustaf Adolf Rosenborg and Johan Carlsten, and since 1801 by Johan Björklund.
The town garden was replanted with hardwood trees in the 1840s surrounded by lilac bushes. To increase comfort, a carousel and a bowling alley were also built in the park. In the 1880s the area was changed into a potato field. Today it is a housing area.
18. TOBACCO WAS GROWN IN THE “TOBACCO FIELD”
Dutch tobacco had been imported to Hamina since the 1720s. Interest in the import of tobacco was therefore great among the merchants who had moved from Hamina to Degerby. One of them was Jacob Forssel who was familiar with the product and wanted to get the right to import it to set up a tobacco factory in Degerby.
Governor Wrede offered land for growing tobacco on the south side of the town, so both the plantation and the factory were started up in 1753. The cultivated area was about 9 acres (about 4,5 ha) as its largest. The best harvest gave 15,000 – 20,000 pounds of tobacco leaves (about 6300 – 8500 kgs), which was equal to one year’s need. The two tobacco tables in the factory employed 8 to 12 workers who produced 10,000 – 18,000 pounds (about 4200 – 7600 kgs) of tobacco products per year.
From 1809 onwards good Russian tobacco started to flow into the country making the domestic production unprofitable and to finally cease in 1820. In 1829, the tobacco field went back to the ownership of the town of Loviisa. And little by little it also became a potato field.
18. THE CROWN DISTILLERY 1776 – 1789, plot No. 19 on Breiholtz’ map
Distilling alcohol at home was lawful and a common livelihood until the late 17th century. In 1756 private distilling was forbidden and the ban was further tightened in 1776 when the King of Sweden, Gustaf III, started a monopoly of crown distilleries. The reason for this was mainly economic: grain was used for distilling alcohol significantly more than was considered healthy and necessary.
Eleven crown distilleries were established in Finland, one of them in Loviisa. The distillery was mastered by the noble family of von Morian – the owners of Sarvilahti estate – during 1776 – 1789. There was a workshop for manufacturing barrels on the same plot as well as accommodation for the workers.
The inspector of Sarvilahti estate, Petter Nyberg, was responsible for the operations of the crown destillery. The raw material, grain, was mainly supplied from the owners’ farms in villages of Sarvilahti and Pukaro. The yearly production was about 157,000 liters. The company employed 30 to 35 workers and had also its own pub in Sarvilahti village.
Home distilling continued despite the ban until it was allowed again in 1787. Crown distilleries never became profitable, and were eventually closed, the last ones in Sweden in 1824.
18. SAIL CLOTH MILL 1801 – 1921, plot No. 19 on Breiholtz’ map
In 1801 the plot of the old distillery and presumably also all the buildings were passed into the possession of the commercial house of Christian Clayhills Söner who founded the sail cloth mill. The ownership of the sail cloth mill was further passed to Carl Tesche in 1810.
Sail cloth was woven from flax, hemp or jute. The cloth was used for sails, sacks and simple clothes. At first the factory had 7 looms but during the upcoming years the number of looms rose to around a dozen.
The staff consisted of about 15 apprentices and hired hands who were led by Master Eric Råberg. The raw material, mainly hemp, was imported from Riga and the yearly production was about 350–400 sail cloths. One cloth measured 56 cubits x 4 spans (about 33 cm x 70 cm). Part of the production was exported to the countries by the Baltic and the Mediterranean Sea.