Former cutlery mill in southwestern Finland turned cozy and tranquil boutique hotel

The Torby / Fiskars / Nyland / Finland

All across the Nordics there used to be countless mill towns, small towns or villages that have grown around one or more mills. Where the company owned the town, providing housing and similar to the workers of the mill. These days not so many of these places exist anymore, either due to the fact that they have grown into slightly larger towns so it is hard to still brand them as mill towns, or they have sadly been left to wither as the mill, the heart of the community since long has closed down. But there are exceptions, where the heritage has been preserved. And one of these places is the village of Fiskars, in southwest Finland. It is here that you’ll find The Torby Hotel.

The Fiskars Mill was established back in 1649. This site was perfect, right next to the Fiskars River that is connected to the Baltic Sea, surround by forests. In 1822 a cutlery mill was built where they produced knives, razor blades and scissors (the Fiskars scissors are world-renowned, still today). This mill was sadly destroyed due to a fire in 1888, but later that year a new, more sturdy brick building was constructed, and this is the Old Cutlery Mill that the Torby hotel is housed in.

The name of the hotel comes from the parish where the village of Fiskars is located in, which is called Torby, and this 24-key hotel is a very sombre affair. The interior that has been created by Koko3 and design firm Poiat is all about muted, gentle colors inspired by the surrounding nature. One of the things that stand out is the lounge and wine bar, located next to the reception. It is a large space where there are plenty of sofas and plush chairs where you can kick back and relax in front of the fire place.

The village of Fiskars today is full of restaurants, cafés, art exhibits, artisan studios and of course a Fiskars/Ittala shop where you can by some of the those classic pieces, like the orange scissors, to bring back home.

This used to be an old cutlery mill where goods have been created for centuries before it was turned into a hotel.

My room. The favorite feature was the massive old factory style windows.

Out exploring the small village of Fiskars

We came across this great little gastro café called Lavanderia. These Finnish Mardi Gras buns were amazing.

Next to the hotel is the Kuparipaja Restaurant where breakfast is served when staying at the Torby. They also serve á la carte dinners in the evening.

RG inside info

This place is perfect if you…

…want to go a little off the beaten track in Finland and stay in a place with a lot of heritage. If you want to experience how life was in a rural mill town (albeit an update version of it), you can do just that while staying at the design hotel, The Torby.

My favorite thing about this place…

…is the lounge. So nice to retreat back to the lounge and play some boardgames by the fireplace and a huge glass of wine.

What not to miss when staying here…

…is to stop by Lavanderia gastro café. A great pit stop where you can both eat, drink or just go for a coffee and something sweet. And it also makes sense to visit the Fiskars shop to buy a classic pair of Fiskars scissors with the iconic orange handle to bring back home.

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