Juutila Foundry is the oldest still working bell foundry in Finland. Juutila foundry was founded in 1881. Juutila Foundry is situated in a village of Vehkalahti in Kaavi, Northern Savonia. Juutila Foundry Museum is in the old foundry building. It is a unique museum of its kind in the Nordic countries introducing the traditional sand casting method of the foundry.
History
Juutila Foundry casts products out of bronze and brass. The foundry can make single pieces up to 500 kg. The different kinds of bells and mortars and pestles were one of the main products in the early history of the foundry. The products of Juutila were originally sold as far as in Vyborg and Sortavala in Karelia. Some of the products found their way even to St. Petersburg. In the 1940s the foundry made a large number of school bells. Five men were working in the foundry then. In the 1960s Juutila Foundry started to make church bells, which became the main products in the 1980s and 1990s. Nowadays Juutila Foundry manufactures about half a dozen church bells annually. Foundry worked the first hundred years in an old workshop. The new foundry building of brick was built in 1982.
Craftsmanship since 1881
Nowadays Mr Eljas Juutilainen carries on the tradition of his forebears by sand casting. The craft of casting and foundry work came to Juutila farm with Juutilainen's grandfather's uncle from nearby Juankoski ironworks. The history of Juutila Foundry dates back to 1881. Mr Eljas Juutilainen is a third-generation craftsman. He has been working at the foundry more than 40 years. Juutilainen was awarded Finnish State Award of Industrial Arts in 1975. Finnish Chambers of Commerce has given him Golden Medal of Merit. Cross of Merit of the Order of the Lion of Finland was awarded him by President of Finland.
Products
Juutila Foundry makes many kinds of bells, candlesticks, reliefs, grave crosses, business gifts etc. In the 21st century Juutila Foundry has been casting also the medallions of Cranbrook chairs designed by Eliel Saarinen.
Commissions
Juutila Foundry has manufactured church bells e.g. to these churches in Finland:
In the beginning of new millennium they decided to establish a foundry museum to preserve foundry's history. By the expertise of the Finnish National Board of Antiquities the items of the old foundry were counted. They listed almost 2 000 objects from the foundry. The old foundry got a new location in the other side of the yard and it became a museum introducing especially the traditional sand casting method of the foundry. Juutila Foundry Museum was opened in 2004. It is open in summer.
