Loggers’ buildings on Land and Water
Man has utilised the backwoods of Kolovesi since the Ice Age. Signs of the
later history at Kolovesi are the tar-burning pit and loggers’ cabin at
Mäntysalo, built in 1940. The cabin was last used by loggers in 1972. In the
1950s, there has been several floating cabins, which were anchored close to the
logging sites. Shelters for horses and tools, and toilets were also built near
the anchoring place.
Old places for letting off the logs are Selkälahti Bay and Kirkkoranta, which
is still occasionally used by Finnish Lakeland Floating Association. In the
water, the logs were gathered into bundles, which formed even a kilometre log
rafts behind the tugboats.
Prisoners of War at the Logging Sites
At Kolovesi large logging was in process in 1942 - 44, and Metsähallitus
hired Russian prisoners of war from a prison camp to work in the forest. The
guarded prisoners chopped wood in the forests of remote islands for the needs of
the state in the war. The prisoners also lifted up pitchy stumps, and surveyed
Aspens (Populus tremula) for the manufacture of matches. They drilled
samples of the Aspens, and the ones that were suitable and in good condition
were felled.
At most there were 200 hired prisoners working at
Kolovesi. Three barracks and a sauna were built for them, but demolished after
they had left. Strict rationing made the life pretty hard in the forest. The
prisoners of war had a lasting impact on the food culture in Enonkoski
Municipality: the local people followed their example and started picking and
eating different boleti (Boletus).
