The Industrial Heritage of Varkaus is awarded the European Heritage Label

Varkaus – a living industrial cultural heritage – was awarded the Cultural Heritage Label by the European Commission. The label is designated to sites located in the European Union that strongly embody the history, culture and integration of Europe.

The industrial cultural environment of Varkaus is a unique site that brings together events, art, natural heritage and industrial history. The living industrial heritage of Varkaus opens a window in Eastern Finland to the history of European industrialisation, the rise of the labour movement and the formation of civil society over a span of nearly three centuries.

“The fact that Varkaus was awarded the European Heritage label demonstrates recognition of our Finnish industrial heritage. Varkaus exemplifies a place where Finland's history of industrialisation, heritage of the labour movement, art and nature all converge in harmony. The Label makes the cultural environment of Varkaus and Finnish cultural heritage more widely known to Europeans and reinforces our understanding of Finland’s history,” says Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie.

The site in Varkaus is one that showcases how industrialisation evolved in Finland, where waterways and the natural environment have provided a means of transport, energy and raw materials for the country’s metal and wood processing industries and shipbuilding industry. The various stages in industrialisation and the movement of peoples and ideas that this gave rise to have also played a key role in building European unity.

European Heritage Label

The European Heritage Label is a cultural heritage action of the European Union launched in 2011. The aims of the label are to raise awareness about in the history of the EU and its formation, and about our common yet diverse cultural heritage.

The sites include built heritage, documents, cultural environments and intangible cultural heritage, for example. The Finnish Heritage Agency coordinates the national implementation of the label in Finland. The first site awarded with the label was the University of Jyväskylä's Seminaarinmäki campus and equality of education in 2022, and the second label was awarded in 2024 to Kalevala - Living Epic Heritage.

“Finland now has three interesting sites that have been awarded the European Heritage Label.  These heritage sites along with other designated sites spanning from ancient Athens to the Hague Palace of Peace all play a part in telling the story of a Europe that we all have in common. The industrial heritage of Varkaus nicely complements the collection, as there has been relatively little industrial heritage included so far,” says Leena Marsio, Senior Adviser at the Finnish Heritage Agency and National Coordinator of the European Heritage Label.

More information:
European Heritage Label sites
Website of the Finnish Heritage Agency on the European Heritage Label