Articles Published by the Electrical Museum
The Electrical Museum publishes articles on a variety of fascinating topics related to the history of electricity and the museum.
Electrical Museum Articles
Some of the articles were originally published on the Electrical Museum’s previous website. You can access the full text of each article by clicking the ”Read the full article here” link. The articles are listed in alphabetical order.
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This is the first article in the Electrical Museum’s Archive Gems series, which explores a variety of materials preserved in the museum’s archival collections. The first article focuses on issue 3/1966 of Sähköviesti magazine.
Sähköviesti was published by the Finnish Electrical Utilities Association (Suomen Sähkölaitosyhdistys) as its customer magazine. The association, founded in 1939, had previously co-published Voima ja Valo magazine with the Finnish Association of Electrical Engineers (Sähköinsinööriliitto) since 1928.
Article originally published on 28 July 2020.
Sähköviesti 3-1966, magazine cover -
A scrapbook compiled by the Lähteenmäki electrical business from 1953 onwards includes an advertisement showcasing the Huvi washing machine, which was sold in the company’s shop in the mid-1950s.
Article originally published on 26 July 2021.
Advertisement for a washing machine from Iivari Lähteenmäki’s electrical business. -
In 1935, construction of the Askala Power Plant was at its busiest. At the peak of the project, nearly 200 workers were employed on the construction site at the same time.
Article originally published on 9 November 2018
Askala building site in 1935. Photo: Electricity Museum Photo Collection. -
Many inventions in the field of physics have transformed our lives in countless ways. They have also played a significant role in the development of electrical engineering.
Article originally published on 28 August 2020.
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The Juntola Power Plant was officially inaugurated on 10 November 1921, although it had already been partially operational the previous year. At its highest point, the dam stood 18 metres high. Three generating units were installed at the power plant, and its average annual electricity production reached approximately 2.6 million kilowatt-hours, tripling the company’s electricity output.
Article originally published on 19 September 2021.
Juntola Hydroelectric Power Plant.
Juntola Hydroelectric Power Plant. -
This article presents excerpts from the 1921 diary of T. E. Haapala, a construction foreman who had recently begun working as Assistant Manager at Lounais-Suomen Sähköosakeyhtiö, in the period leading up to the commissioning of the Juntola Power Plant.
Article originally published on 7 November 2021.
One page from the Juntola photo album. The photographs were most likely taken in 1921. The album is part of the Electrical Museum’s photographic collection. -
In the 1990s, helicopter logging helped make Verkonrakennus Oy a pioneer in its field. Developed for vegetation clearance, the helicopter-mounted saw was designed to trim branches and remove snow loads along power line corridors to help prevent power outages. The story is published in three parts.
Article originally published on 26 June 2020.
Article about Verkonrakennus Oy in Johdin magazine, 1994. -
In 1992, pilot Timo Ylitervo was hired by Verkonrakennus Oy to install electricity poles along a motorway. He carried out the work so successfully that he was soon asked to try helicopter logging using the helicopter-mounted saw.
Article originally published on 1 July 2020.
Hämeen Sanomat, 1996. ”Finland’s Only Flying Logger Clears a Power Line in Hauho” -
In 2015, pilot Timo Ylitervo narrowly escaped with his life when his helicopter crashed from a height of 30 metres due to a technical failure. Although helicopter logging involved life-threatening risks, the helicopter saw project was regarded as a significant success, above all because of the extensive media attention it attracted.
Article originally published on 3 July 2020.
Photograph by Jukka Salmela of the Finnish invention—a helicopter-mounted tree-top saw, March 2020. -
The light fixture designed by Alvar Aalto and fitted with a propeller-shaped louvre was manufactured by Taito Oy. While the light fixture itself is not particularly rare, the propeller-like louvre is not known to have survived. This model of light fixture was widely used at the Paimio Sanatorium.
Article originally published on 25 July 2019.
Taito Oy manufactured this light fixture under product number 2023/1933. -
The profession of the meter reader seems to have been one of the most little-known occupations in our society. From almost the very beginning of electricity sales, someone regularly visited homes to read their electricity meters.
Article originally published on 10 May 2021.
Electricity meter. -
The Strömberg-1000, also known as the SELCO-1000, is a computer standing over two metres tall. Although it was originally designed to control paper machines, it was later used to manage electricity distribution to thousands of locations.
Article originally published on 20 February 2021
The Strömberg-1000 computer in the Electrical Museum’s collection. -
Only nine SELCO-1000 computers are known to have been in use in Finland. The Strömberg-1000 now on display at the Electricity Museum was in operation from 1975 to 1985, even though the machine was already considered partly outdated in the 1970s.
Article originally published on 18 April 2021.
In the foreground is a ferrite core memory board from the computer. Each bit has its own tiny magnetic core, which can be seen individually with a magnifying glass. -
In the 1960s, the management of Sähkölähteenmäki began preserving electrical equipment that had been taken out of service. About thirty years later, the Electricity Museum Foundation was established to create the museum and preserve the history of electricity.
Article originally published on 17 June 2017.
Minister Enestam cuts the ribbon at the museum’s opening ceremony. Assisting him is electrical technician Erkki Tuominen, one of the key figures behind the museum project. -
Finland introduced its first electrical safety regulations in 1902, requiring electricity utilities to maintain special supervision of electrical installations. Today, electrical safety is overseen by the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes).
Article originally published on 18 September 2020.
Suomen Sosiaalidemokraatti, 4 August 1923. An electrical accident in Pertteli. -
Askala Meadow and the Paimionjoki River have a unique natural environment. However, the ecosystem of the Paimionjoki River is affected by human activity. This article briefly explores the ecosystems and nature of Askala Meadow and the Paimionjoki River, as well as the impacts of the power plant on them. The article is a continuation of the Electrical Museum’s 2026 special exhibition: 90 Years of the Askala Hydroelectric Power Plant.
Read the full article here.
Article published on 9 November 2018.
Joint Articles by Electrical Museum and Miila
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Museum trainees from the Electricity Museum and Miila Craft Museum reflect on museums and gender, exploring how work and professions have been viewed through the lens of gender.
Article originally published on 6 August 2023.
The second wave of rural electrification. Lights in the cowshed.