Köysikuja (rope lane)

Kittholma forest

At the beginning of the 1800s, a direct route was built in the Kittholma forest for rope making. Rope lanes had naturally existed in different parts of the town previously as well. Sailing ships needed a large amount of ropes, which were manufactured from hemp, for example. Only men worked as rope makers. Some sort of a grinding machine was also needed in rope making. Ropes were tarred at the Pikiruukki pitch factory, where they were immersed in a tar boiler and lifted up to dry. Köysikuja (Repslagarbanan) in Kittholma is a central part of the old harbour’s maritime history and early industry.