The red brick factory building houses two museums and functions as a cultural and event venue for the whole family. The area is a nationally significant cultural environment.
“Myllysaari” means “Mill island” and, true enough, the area housed grain mills as early as in the Middle Ages. 145 years ago the first paper mill was founded into the junction of waterways. The mill village became Valkeakoski, perhaps one of the best known paper towns in the country. Myllysaari museum’s permanent exhibition “Vana” (Wake) tells a story of the history of the Valkeakoski and Sääksmäki area. The journey takes the viewer from the Iron Age through to today. The story brings distant trades and people to life. The strong industrial heritage of the area is an important part of the exhibition. In Myllysaari there is also The Finnish football museum. It displays more than 100 years of Finnish football history through uniforms, trophies, and featured legendary Finnish players.
Several changing exhibitions take place at the museum every year.
One of the unique items of Myllysaari museum is a genuine Venetian gondola. The gondola was acquired by the legendary paper mill director Juuso Walden.