The Life and Art of Pekka Halonen

Pekka Halonen

Pekka Halonen was a painter of Finnish landscapes and people who would go on to become one of the more notable painters in the world of Finnish Art. This Post provides what’s probably the most detailed information you’ll find on Pekka Halonen in English (there’s not much….) as well as … Continue reading

Finland’s Steam-powered Phoenix Log Hauler

Forestry Museum of Lapland

In the Forestry Museum of Lapland you will find the “Sandberg” Locomotive – which is actually a steam-powered Phoenix Log Hauler imported from Wisconsin. In 1913, the first of two of the log haulers was delivered to Finland via the harbor at Hankko (the second arrived in 1914). They were imported from the … Continue reading

Forestry Museum of Lapland (Lapin Metsämuseo)

Forestry Museum of Lapland

The Forestry Museum of Lapland (Lapin Metsämuseo)  saves, researches, maintains and presents the cultural heritage of Lapland’s forestry history – and funnily enough, it’s the only museum in the world that concentrates on fostering the history of forest work in Finnish Lapland. It’s an outdoor museum located in the Pöykkölä part … Continue reading

Jaeger Museum of Finland (Suomen Jääkärimuseo) – Kauhava

Jaeger Museum of Finland

Located within the Natural History Museum of Kauhava, the Jaeger Museum of Finland is a permanent exhibition telling the story of the formation, operations and history of nearly 2000 young men who went to Germany during World War One to learn military skills, with the aim fighting for an independent … Continue reading

Suomenniemi Museums

Suomenniemi Museums The Municipality of Suomenniemi is near the town of Mikkeli and is part of the South Savo region within South Karelia. Suomenniemi museums are two in number, the Lyytikkälä Museum Farm (open over the Summer months) and the Nikkinen Cottage (note that the Nikkinen Cottage is only open on … Continue reading

The architectural heritage of South Karelia

The architectural heritage of South Karelia South Karelian landscapes The present-day region of South Karelia consists of ten municipalities (Imatra, Lappeenranta, Lemi, Luumäki, Parikkala, Rautjärvi, Ruokolahti, Savitaipale, Suomenniemi and Taipalsaari) which, geographically speaking, form part of the southeastern fringe of Lakeland Finland.  This is a varied landscape, with great variations … Continue reading

Prehistoric South Karelia

The prehistory of South Karelia Twelve thousand years ago, Finland (the area between Norway/Sweden and the White Sea / Lake Onega) was almost totally buried under a continental ice sheet, just as Greenland is today. Gradually, the ice sheet melted, and its southern margin retreated farther and farther north and … Continue reading