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Rauma Lace

When the fashionable Europe wore lace-decorated bonnets at the end of the 18th century, the well-known Rauma lace employed most part of the townspeople. The counted number of bobbin pillows was 600.

In the beginning of the 19th century lace models and fine bobbin thread were imported for lace-makers. Due to the development of Rauma bobbin lace a bobbin school was estabilshed. However, the use of bonnets started decreasing in 1840s and thus also the bobbin lace-making, too. Laces were transferred from garments into linen. In 1890s cheap factory-made laces conquered the world.

After a small recession lace-making was revived at the beginning of this century. Since that Rauma has kept its lace reputation high up. In recent years the lace-making has been studied yearly by 150 townspeople as a hobby!
Since 197 1 Rauma has had a Lace Week at the end of July, when lace exhibitions gather enthusiasts from all over Finland and also from further.

Rauma Language

Rauma dialect (or Rauma Language, as the townspeople call it) belongs to south-western dialects, which are spoken in Finland Proper and in Satakunta in Rauma district. However, the pure Rauma language is only spoken in Rauma district. There is no certain knowledge of the origin of the Rauma language, but it must have been strongly affected by the status of Rauma as a functional harbour town. Due to the influence of seamen, the Rauma language has plenty of words from Swedish and English, but also Estonian, Russian, and French languages.