A Quick Stop in Fiskars, Finland

On our way home from Raseborg, we decided to detour and make a stop in Fiskars. Everyone knows the famous orange-handled scissors, and this town is the origin for the iconic hand tool.

The day was pretty grey and rainy, so we didn't spend a lot of time in town. In fact, we only ate lunch and toured a few shops. Had it been sunny, I'm sure the town would have been a great day trip and a wonderful spot for a picnic lunch.

We started in the Fiskars store/museum. Inside, we learned that the company was founded in 1649. More than 300 years ago! Though the orange-handled scissors were not part of the company's repertoire then, they WERE pretty famous with farmers. Dutch merchant Peter Thorwöste established a blast furnace and forging operation in the small village. That furnace produced pig iron that was shingled to wrought iron in the finery forges which were powered by water wheels (along the river in the town). In these early years, Fiskars made nails, wire, hoes, and metal reinforced wheels from wrought iron.

Then, in the late 1700s, copper was discovered in the area and the forgery shifted to copper processing. For nearly 80 years, this was the main source of business in the town.

In 1822, a Finnish man from Turku acquired the ironworks and the village. He focused on iron forging and created the first cutlery mill in Finland. The mill produced knives, followed soon after by forks and scissors. The museum had many examples of the early products created by the mill. Looking at scissors from the 1800s is funny - they look nothing like the scissors we are accustomed to today.

It wasn't until 1967 that the infamous orange-handled scissors were produced. There was an internal vote at the mill for the workers to select the color from 4 prototypes: red, black, orange, and green. The workers selected orange, and the Fiskars brand became well-known worldwide with this product.

Today, the manufacturer makes a variety of garden tools, crafting tools, sewing tools, school supplies/tools, and home improvement tools. In addition, they own the Iitala brand - a Finnish home goods and glass manufacturer.

Although there wasn't much to the sleepy town, it was a very nice lunch break and a place we would have explored more if it had been sunny and warm.

#Fiskars #Finland #FamilyTravel