Theme Routes

Tuesday the 20th, Seminar Theme routes

On Tuesday morning the 20th, as part of the Seminar Social Programme, you will have the opportunity to get to know the World Heritage Sites and the heart of Finnish countryside a little better, during one of the 6 theme routes. Feel free to choose one of the following routes, according to your interest.

Lunch is included in all theme routes.

 1. Experience Finnish hygge at it’s best: Traditional sauna and well-being

Hygge & Heritage November atmosphere (photos: Humak/Emilia Reponen)

On this theme route you can experience the relaxing warmth and atmosphere of a traditional morning sauna and refresh your senses with a dip in ice-cold lake. During the morning we visit several beautiful locations and traditional saunas in the area, including a smoke sauna.

Sauna in Finland is an essential part of life, well-being and relaxation. Since its invention, sauna has healed, has helped to relax, to refresh body and mind. For Finns, the first sauna experiences start in early childhood and continue throughout their life. Many traditions, celebrations and other parts of Finnish culture are associated with the sauna. Sauna has also been a place where family and friends can gather to share news, thoughts and ideas.  When entering sauna people are all equal leaving behind titles and egos.

Central Finland has declared itself as a Sauna Region of the World. The basis for such a title comes from the fact that a lot of companies from sauna industry as well as tourism with sauna services are concentrated in Central Finland. Located in the Lakeland, Central Finland has some of the most spectacular places to dive into the sauna culture.

More about sauna culture: https://saunaregion.fi/

2. Tikkala Village: UNESCO School and the tradition & future of Finnish rural life

Laukkala Estate Home Museum and Hakamaa sheep farm (photos: Humak/Emilia Reponen)

On this theme route you get familiarize yourself with the daily life of Finnish school at the UNESCO school of Tikkala. The UNESCO Associated Schools Network links educational institutions across the world around a common goal: to build the defences of peace in the minds of children and young people. The member schools in 182 countries work in support of international understanding, peace, intercultural dialogue, sustainable development and quality education in practice.

You also visit the Laukkala Estate Home Museum, where you travel back in time until 1863 and hear stories about the history and rural life of the area. During its history the Laukkala farm has served as a farmhouse, a tavern, a camp for prisoners of war, a school and a veterinarian’s office. Throughout it’s history it has also been a gathering place for the villagers.

At the Hakamaa sheep farm you experience real farm life with all your senses and hear what happens when a big city couple decides to change their lives, starf from scratch and move to the countryside. Today this special place is their home, a source of livelihood and a place for people of all ages to get closer to nature, enjoy outdoors and experience real farm life.

More about Hakamaa sheep farm: https://www.hakamaanlammastila.fi/our-dream/

3. Korpilahti village and lake Päijänne

Glass art (photo: Humak/Emilia Reponen), Lake Päijänne (photo: Humak/Emilia Reponen), Höyry gallery (photo: Tuula Salo)

In Korpilahti homestead museum you will learn what life was like back in the old days by Lake Päijänne. You will visit the Höyry art gallery and familiriaze yourself with its art exhibitions, and Emalipuu Gallery Shop, where you will admire unique artisan and design products. Both the gallery and the shop are located in an old steam sawmill. Lunch will be served at the Tähtiniemi Manor, home of The sawmill owner.

4. Korpilahti Waterside – Journey to the homestead of artist Alvar Cawén

Vaarunhovi (photo: Tiia Ristanen) Alvar Cawén: Pime (photo: [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons), Kärkinen bridge (photo: Paavo Laukkanen)

When we approach Oittila village, we cross over a long bridge and Lake Päijänne to the Waterside of Korpilahti. Our journey begins from Oittila’s village hall Villa Cawén where we see how authentic Finnish rye bread and traditional handcrafts are made. From there we continue to Ylä-Tihtari heritage farm where hear stories from the past and visit the farm’s museum. Last stop on our journey is Vaarunhovi which is a old parsonage and the childhood home of Alvar Cawén. There we will nourish our body and soul before returning to Petäjävesi.

5. Outdoor experience – Climbing up to the UNESCO World Heritage site at the top of Oravivuori hill

Scenery from Oravivuori (Photo Eila Tiirinen)

Enjoy the fresh air as you top out Oravivuori hill in the footsteps of Wilhelm von Struve’s expedition. The Struve Geodetic Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through ten countries and over 2,820 km. One of the measuremet points is located at the top of Oravivuori hill. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, which represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. This helped establish the exact size and shape of our planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. It is an extraordinary example of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries, and of collaboration between monarchs for a scientific cause.

6. Petäjävesi Old Church UNESCO Site and Scandinavian wooden architecture tradition

Petäjävesi Old Church (photo: Erkki Ahlroos)

On this tour you visit the UNESCO Church and have lunch the Lemettilä farm, which has been classified as a site of national and regional importance. There is a long tradition of building log houses in Petäjävesi and central Finland area. The old church at Petäjävesi was marked as a UNESCO World Heritage landmark in 1994 as an excellent example of a Lutheran country church built of logs as an typical example of an architechtural tradition unique to eastern Scandinavia. It is different from other wooden churches due to its log construction techniques.

The church was built on the lands of Lemettilä Estate. The buildings of the farm form a closed courtyard in accordance with traditional construction practices. The log buildings are Falu red in colour. The farm is located in a protected area listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Therefore, renovating the exterior of buildings always requires a statement by the National Board of Antiquities. The farm, which is located near the church, has been inhabited since the 17th century.

More about the history of Lemettilä: http://www.lemettilantila.fi/en/history-and-background

More about the Petäjävesi Old Church: https://www.petajavesi.fi/kirkko/index.php?lang=en

Changes and cancellation in theme routes and locations are possible.