The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region has invented and documented the cultural heritage of hydropower in a three-year project. A selection of fine power plant sites is the Finnish Architecture Navigator, an online service for Finnish architecture published on the anniversary of the birth of architect Aarne Ervi. The Oulujoki river basin power plant complex was one of the most important construction projects in Finland during the reconstruction period. After the Second World War, sixteen hydropower plants were built in Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, which were at the top of their time in terms of both technology and architecture. These sites have been studied in the three-year EU-funded Hydropower Cultural Heritage (Veku Vaku) project led by the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region. A selection of hydropower projects has now been published in the Finnish Architecture Navigator, an online service for Finnish architecture maintained by Archinfo Finland. Read the press release on the ArcInfo page! See the locations in Finnish Architecture Navigator! Read more about the Veku Vaku project! Further information: Kirsti Reskalenko Regional Architect Tel. +358 40 685 4030 Pictured is Pyhäkoski power plant, photographer Pekka Elomaa

The new www.vekuvaku.eu website tells about the hydropower architecture of the Oulujoki river basin and the Luleå river, records memories of the times when rivers were harnessed and power plant villages flourished, and describes the traditional brook mills in Kainuu. The site draws an overall picture of the extensive power plant complex in the Oulujoki river basin and its construction in the middle of the wilderness. The site contains basic information about the 16 power plants and their residential areas in the Oulujoki river basin. Numerous images open up new perspectives on modern industrial architecture and modified landscapes. On the site you can read the stories of the inhabitants of the river banks, power plant builders and those who grew up in power plant villages. The site also has room for new stories. Tell us your story via the story form on the website. You can send us your story even if you don't want it published on the website. All stories are welcome and published in cooperation with the consent of the narrator. The site is part of the Hydropower Cultural Heritage (VekuVaku) project, which highlights hydropower plants and their communities as cultural heritage and a diverse resource. The aim is that through cross-border cooperation, the cultural heritage of power plant construction in northern rivers will be clarified, promoted and the identity of local communities strengthened. The project is funded by the Interreg North programme.