Helene Schjerfbeck at Sjundby Manor and in Tammisaari
One of the main locations in works by the artist Helene Schjerfbeck (1862-1946) is Sjundby Manor in Siuntio, where she spent time with her cousins. She sketched the main building from different perspectives when she was in her early teens and returned to the subject later in life. Her cousins who lived in the manor were of similar age and featured as models in many of Helene's works. During our guided tour, we visit the artist's room and hear about the times she spent there.
We continue to Tammisaari, a town which the artist visited on several occasions before moving there permanently in 1925. In total, she spent about 17 years of her life there. During a walking tour of the old part of town we see places Helene loved and houses in which she lived.
At the end of the tour, we enjoy a delicious cup of afternoon coffee at Café Gamla Stan, a location steeped in local history.
Touring the Inkoo Archipelago
A trip through the islands of the Inkoo archipelago in a water taxi.
We visit the island of Bågaskär where the Finnish Lifeboat Institution established an operations and training centre in 2009. Trainees are able to use the latest equipment in tackling the many challenges posed by this marine environment.
Beautiful island scenery and a tasty lunch at a summer restaurant.
West Uusimaa Gardens
Visits to unique and historical locations in West Uusimaa where the gardens have been
carefully restored and renovated.
Rare trees and bushes - and garden art - in the park at Svartå Manor, then a tasty lunch in Linnankrouvi, the manor restaurant.
Then to Inkoo and a visit to the beautiful park and gardens of Fagervik Manor.
In Kirkkonummi, the new splendour of the Pokrova Monastery's enchanting gardens is the result of many years hard work. Afternoon coffee at Pokrova.
Porkkala Parenthesis - Sightseeing
It's now more than 60 years since the Soviet Union withdrew from its naval base in Porkkala and the region was returned to Finnish rule. Now called the Porkkala Parenthesis, this period had not only a very direct effect on the districts of Kirkkonummi, Siuntio, Inkoo and even the City of Espoo, it was also a very significant event in Finnish history.
The sightseeing tour starts with an introduction to the main building at Majvik and morning coffee, followed by a visit to the Kolsarby cemetery and its Soviet-era graves. Next comes Sjundby Manor, established in the Middle Ages, and something unexpected... and after solving that there's an introduction to the building's fascinating history.
Then a buffet lunch at Cumulus City & Resort Siuntio and a visit to the Igor Museum in Degerby where all the exhibits and displays focus on the Porkkala Parenthesis. On the way home, we stop for afternoon coffee and some shopping at the Maatilapuoti farm shop i Kirkkonummi.
Aleksis Kivi’s Siuntio - Sightseeing
Finland's national writer Aleksis Kivi lived at Fanjunkars, a house in Siuntio owned by Charlotta Lönnqvist, from 1864-1871. She gave him both a home and a place with the peace he needed to work. Kivi had become familiar with Siuntio when he stayed with his brother in Purnus in 1857-58 and spent the majority of his most productive years as a writer at Fanjunkars. He wrote Seven Brothers, his most famous work, while living there, revising the book three times.
This sightseeing tour includes visits to the recently-renovated Fanjunkars and Sjundby Manor, where Charlotta Lönnqvist worked in the kitchens. After a guided tour of the manor, there's a tasty lunch "à la mademoiselle Lönnqvist" in the estate granary, now a summer café.
Afternoon coffee, and "Aleksis Kivi" pulla - sweet Finnish bread made from top-quality wheat - will be waiting for you by the river at Purnus Manor. After coffee, a guided walk in the footsteps of Aleksis Kivi to the Flaggberget heights where Siuntio's inhabitants organised Whitsun and Midsummer bonfires and dances in which Aleksis Kivi participated. Along the way, more interesting recollections about this important figure in Finnish literary history.