In 1911, the town of Mikkeli gained a water supply system, which included the first reinforced concrete structure to be built in Finland: a water tower designed by architect Selim A Lindqvist. In addition to containing a large water tank, it also served as a fire tower and an observation tower. There was a restaurant on the ground floor of the tower.
When the Winter War broke out, the top of the tower was demolished and the observation platform was used for air surveillance and defence. During the Continuation War, Mikkeli’s air surveillance station operated in the tower: surveillance functions were at the top and the office was downstairs. About 15 people worked on surveillance-related tasks, and most were members of Lotta Svärd. In the Naisvuori cave, next to the Lokki communications centre, the regional air surveillance centre coordinated the intelligence sent in by the air surveillance stations in the region.
The Naisvuori observation tower and café are open in the summer.
