Fiskars’ gift to Finland for the nation's centenary – more than 750 man-hours dedicated to renovating Dagmar Park
Fiskars Corporation
Press release
August 30, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. (EEST)
Fiskars’ gift to Finland for the nation's centenary – more than 750 man-hours dedicated to renovating Dagmar Park
In honor of Finland's centenary, Fiskars Group is donating the calming effect of nature: on August 30, 2017, Fiskars will hand over the park area of Dagmar in Raasepori to Finland for the next hundred years. Fiskars is one of the official partners of the Prime Minister's Office on the Finland centenary year. In line with the year's theme, "Together", Fiskars' employees have dedicated their time this year to renovate Dagmar Park to serve hikers and others enjoying the wilderness.
Fiskars Group has long heritage of owning and managing forests as wood has always been an important raw material for the ironworks industry. Established in 1649 as an ironworks in the village of Fiskars, the company's operations have changed over the centuries, but the heritage is still alive in western Uusimaa.
Källviken, in western Uusimaa, houses an area of land and waters covering about 40 hectares. The scenic Källviken is a combination of diverse Finnish forest, natural beaches, coastal rock faces, and the sea. Källviken is also the location of Dagmar Spring, which has great cultural value and is known for its exceptionally clear and clean water that invigorates hikers and provides an experience of pure nature.
Fiskars is today donating the park area of Dagmar for Finns and friends of Finland to use as a hiking and recreational area for the next hundred years.
Fiskars wants its donation to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the natural environment and find peace and inspiration. The company is donating the area to Finland for management by Metsähallitus, the state's forest enterprise, for a nominal annual lease of one euro.
More than 750 man-hours of work: the park area was renovated to become a nature conservation area
Before the area was handed over, Fiskars' employees renovated Dagmar Park in line with the official theme stated by the Prime Minister's Office for the jubilee year: "Together". The work involved restoring the paths, structures in the area such as piers, bridges, and steps, and the surroundings of Dagmar Spring to make it easy and enjoyable for walkers, hikers, boaters, and tourists to get around the park, while conserving the valuable forest environment. A total of more than 750 man-hours of work was done.
"The work ranged from clearing twigs and branches to sanding down worn painted surfaces and protecting popular places from erosion by marking out clearer routes and moving the pathways. The work was carried out in accordance with plans prepared by Fiskars' forest managers and experts from Metsähallitus. Teams took up shovels and rakes as gravel was used to lay the foundations for the paths and the forest floor was cleaned up," says Fiskars' Interim President and CEO, Teemu Kangas-Kärki.
"I am proud of the effort made by Fiskars' employees to contribute to our joint gift. The enthusiasm and team spirit on display during the work days demonstrated how important nature is to Fiskars' teams: it is a source of well-being and inspiration," continues Kangas-Kärki.
The Uusimaa ELY Centre has approved Fiskars' application for the area to be established as an official nature conservation area. Protection rules have been drawn up for the area with a view to preserving it as a rewarding historical, cultural, natural, and recreational destination. The area will now be transferred to Metsähallitus, the state forest enterprise, which will manage it for the next 100 years.
When Fiskars announced its donation last year, Jere Rauhala, Field Manager from Metsähallitus, said that the donation was unique for the nation and in the history of Metsähallitus: never before has a private entity donated such a historically significant area for Metsähallitus to administer.
This year, it has also been possible to take a virtual tour to the area via a virtual reality (VR) video. Fiskars' Finland 100 VR experience has been touring Finland all year. The video is also available in a 360° video format on Fiskars' Finland 100 website: http://suomi100.fiskarsgroup.com/
Anniversary collection to include limited editions of unique design
In addition to the Dagmar Park, Fiskars has commemorated Finland's centenary by launching a jubilee collection highlighting past decades, sustainable design, beloved patterns that have gained special significance, and colors and forms that appeal to all Finns.
"The anniversary collection includes 45 special products from Fiskars, Iittala, Arabia, and Hackman. A limited edition of each product is available, and the products will be sold until the end of 2017. We are proud to be able to commemorate our homeland with timeless design and unique products," says Pekka Salmi, Vice President of Sales Finland and Finland 100 Project Manager.
For further information, please contact:
- Maija Taimi, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Sustainability, maija.taimi@fiskars.com, tel. +358 204 39 5031
- Pekka Salmi, Vice President of Sales Finland and Finland 100 Project Manager at Fiskars, pekka.salmi@fiskars.com, tel. +358 204 39 5044
Fiskars – Making the everyday extraordinary
Fiskars serves consumers and customers around the world with a portfolio of globally recognized brands, including Fiskars, Gerber, Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Waterford, and Wedgwood. In line with our mission, we are building a family of iconic lifestyle brands. Fiskars' vision is to create a positive, lasting impact on people's quality of life. For further information about the company, visit www.fiskarsgroup.com