Telephone Communications

The first telephone of Finland lines were introduced in 1877. Initially, these were direct lines between two phones. In the early 1880s, cities installed manually operated telephone exchanges, also known as switchboards. The operators, who were mostly women, were referred to as “central station women” or “sentraalisantra” (“Central Sandra”).

Loimaa received its first telephone line in 1888, connecting the Hirvikoski nail factory with the steam sawmill offices near the station area. A larger telephone network was established in 1895. The number of subscribers in the first year was 44, but by 1902, it had grown to over 150.

Caption: A photo of the telephone exchange at the museum, operated by Marja Vuorela. The photo was taken in the summer of 1995 and was used in the 100-year history of Loimaa-Seudun Puhelin.
Photographer: Reima Lauanne.
Photo: Loimaa-Seura Collection.