Online conference dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Ludwig Knoop

The online conference taking place on the 200th anniversary of the birth of the founder of the Kreenholm industrial complex and settlement, Ludwig Knoop, will look at his life, the history of the factory, Kreenholm today and the vision for its future. Taking place in the historical Kreenholm building, the event will feature a range of speakers: historians from Narva Museum; Jaanus Mikk, the CEO of the company currently in possession of Kreenholm, Narva Gate; and Helena Knoop, a descendant of Kreenholm’s founder. Representatives of two museums in Norrköping in Sweden will also be sharing their experiences: Museum of Work director Niklas Cserhalm and City Museum director Maria Jönsson will detail how Norrköping’s once sprawling textile industry was transformed into a modern new city district boasting museums, a conference centre, a concert hall, parks and playgrounds.

“Norrköping would serve as a good basis for developing future plans for Kreenholm,” said Jevgeni Timoštšuk, the programme coordinator at the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Narva. “A lot of former textile factories in the Nordic countries are being used for the development of creative industries and tourism, which brings new jobs and improves the reputations of the cities.” The second half of the conference includes a Kreenholm-themed discussion.

The event’s date was not chosen at random: it marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig Knoop. One of the foremost entrepreneurs in the Russian Empire, Knoop played an important role not only in Narva but in Estonia as a whole. The textile industrialist bought the island of Kreenholm in 1856, founding a factory there which grew to become one of the largest textile manufacturing companies in Europe within just a few years. This ‘town within a town’ was built to accommodate the factory workers, its unique architecture characteristic of the turn of the 20th century. Today the nature and future of Kreenholm are being rethought: plans for the factory’s revitalisation have been laid, and some projects have already been launched.

In addition to the online conference, an exhibition entitled ‘Knoop 200’ will open its doors on Joala Street on 14 May and remain open until October. The exhibition will be displayed alongside the pavement on Joala Street, which all agree is the jewel in the crown of Kreenholm’s residential space. Walking down the street, locals and visitors will find out more about the history of the Kreenholm Manufacturing Company and its founder.

Note: The conference can be followed online on the Facebook page of Narva Museum from 11:00 on 15 May. The event will be conducted in Estonian, Russian and English.

For further information please contact:
Anna Markova
Service & Product Development Manager
Narva Museum
Anna.Markova@narvamuuseum.ee

Jevgeni Timoštšuk
Programme Coordinator
Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia
jevgeni@norden.ee