Aalto in Kouvola

Dear all,

I hope this post finds you well. The novel COVID-19 crisis has also left its traces on this blog and jeopardized many of my travel plans this spring and summer. As the travel bans have recently been relaxed, I have been able to at least do some of my planned site visits and this time had the chance to visit two exciting Aalto sites in the Kymi Valley located in the southeast of Finland. The first site I would like to present today is the Tehtaanmäki Primary School in Inkeroinen.

Site No. 84: Tehtaanmäki Primary School in Inkeroinen (1938-39)

Train to Inkeroinen

The Tehtaanmäki (Factory Hill) Primary School designed by Alvar Aalto in the late 1930s is located in the industrial town of Inkeroinen, about 20 km south of Kouvola. Inkeroinen can easily be reached by train taking one of the Kouvola-Kotka commuters that run frequently during the day. The journey from Kouvola takes about 20 min. From the station in Inkeroinen it takes about 15-20 min by foot to the school. Simply make your way from the station to the nearby Inkeroistentie that runs parallel to the tracks. Follow the road in the direction from where the train came and you will find the school after about 1 km to your right. The exact address is Pihtojantie 8.

As already mentioned above, Inkeroinen is an industrial town. At the time the school was designed it was part of a larger city plan in which Alvar Aalto played a significant role. Aalto had been commissioned by Tampella to design housing for the factory workers and together with that also a new school for the worker's children. The housing area still exists, however, due to the limited time of my visit in Inkeroinen I was not able to take a closer look at those but instead focused only on the school. Both the school and the housing area are in close proximity to the paper mill and cardboard factory which are still operating today.

Despite its age the school is still in a rather good shape. It underwent renovations at the beginning of this millennium. The school is still in use today, however, due to the fact that there are school holidays at the moment in Finland I was unfortunately not able to enter the building. Also news recently reported that the school will no longer be used as a primary school as soon as a new built school will open in Inkeroinen. The fade of this building is currently unknown. I personally hope that the building will find a new purpose, perhaps even as a public Aalto site e.g. in form of a museum.

The Tehtaanmäki Primary School in Inkeroinen is definitely worth a visit as it is a great example of Aalto's early works before he entered the red-brick period. The design falls into the same time as Villa Mairea and certain familiar patterns can clearly be identified.

Reaching back to Kouvola by train, I had the chance to visit a second Aalto site located right in the city of Kouvola, the Kasarminmäki Gate.

Site No. 85: Kasarminmäki Gate in Kouvola (1925)

In the 1920s Alvar Aalto had to undergo compulsory military training which he completed at Kasarminmäki military base in Kouvola. During the time Aalto spent there, he designed the Gates for the military base.

The military base is not in use anymore today but instead houses the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Science (XAMK). The gate stones had disappeared at some point and where rediscovered in the 1990s and re-erected at their original location where they can be viewed today. Kasarminmäki is located about 1 km from the city center of Kouvola and can easily be reached by foot.