About Naisvuori
The hill and
water tower
Naisvuori is a granite hill beside the centre of Mikkeli. Its tower and gardens form one of the city’s best-known landmarks.
The name
The origin of the name Naisvuori
A popular story says women climbed the hill to watch the Battle of Porrassalmi in 1789. The name Naisvuori, however, appears on a map from 1766, so the name existed before the battle.
The region was an important Iron Age settlement area. The name may therefore be much older. Finnish place names beginning with Nais, Naisen, Naisien or Naisten can relate to women’s work, residence or ownership.
History
Late 1800s
A park above the town
A park with a restaurant and gazebos developed on the hill before the present tower.
1911–1912
The water tower
Architect Selim A. Lindqvist designed the tower. The ground floor held a kitchen, with a covered pavilion around the edge. The building opened on 1 May 1912. It is Finland’s oldest surviving water tower.
1939–1944
Wartime communications
Air surveillance operated at Naisvuori during the Winter War and Continuation War. A cave complex in Pikku-Naisvuori later housed the headquarters communications centre Lokki.
1953 onward
The observation tower
The former water tower has served solely as an observation tower since 1953. The city completed a renovation in 2022, and a café operates at its base during summer.
1971 onward
Facilities inside the hill
Mikkeli built an underground swimming hall inside Naisvuori in 1971. The caves also support archives, telecommunications infrastructure and civil-defence shelters.
Present day
Naisvuori today
The observation tower and café, summer theatre, gardens and recreation routes make Naisvuori a place for views, culture and exercise. The hill also contains a swimming hall, archives, telecommunications facilities and civil-defence shelters.