Oulun konepaja Ltd
Oulun Konepaja Ltd / Uleåborgs Mekaniska Werkstads Aktiebolag started its operations in Pikisaari, Oulun, in 1874. The workshop manufactured machinery for sawmills and steamships, later entire steamships. The war reparations of the 1940s significantly employed Konepaja, when the factory was expanded. The workshop was closed in 1972.
The old warehouses, warehouses, a small foundry and a residential extension located in the block were demolished in 1993. What remains of the machine shop are the gate and the foundry building, which was designed by architect Gustav Strandberg from 1948. The brick foundry was converted into apartments, and at the same time new residential buildings were built around it.
Pikisaari is full of industrial history
Pikisaari has a long, 400-year industrial history. Towards the 1970s, however, the industry began to wane and finally stopped altogether. The island is located next to the city center in the Oulujoki estuary and is connected by three bridges to the city center and nearby islands. In the 17th century, there was a pitch manufactorer on the island, from which the island got its name.
Nowadays, the area of Pikisaari is protected and it is especially known as a craftsman and artist district. Among other things, the area is home to the Pikisaari unit of the Oulu regional college, the Oulu Architects Guild, and artists' studios and art gallery activities in the premises of the old Wool Factory.