Large photo: Oravivuori triangulation tower, a Unesco world heritage site, small photo: The curved interior wall of the Jyväskylärker's club (photo: Maija Holma, AlvarAalto museum)
Monumentally marvellous moments
Legendary figures, immortal revelations, nostalgia from years past – stories larger than life that can be discovered in the Jyväskylä Region.
Alvar Aalto museum, Jyväskylä
The birth of Finnish culture, part 1
Once upon a time... Finnish culture and the country’s renowned education system were born in the Jyväskylä Region. Our Central Finland forefathers took education and culture a great step forward, and from a very early stage Jyväskylä was referred to as the Athens of Finland. The world-famous architect Alvar Aalto would merit a feature film all of his own, and his handiwork can be seen in different parts of the region. Churches, museums and galleries, too, occupy an important role on the cultural map.
Petäjävesi Old Church
Unesco world heritage sites - real attention-grabbers
1) Petäjävesi Old Church – masterpiece of construction in wood
Added to Unesco’s world heritage list in 1994 as a prime example of Nordic wooden architecture, Petäjävesi Old Church was completed in 1765. The church is a masterful demonstration of durable construction in wood. Legend has it that the church, like the chapel that stood earlier on the same spot, was built without permission. Small farmers in the area were not prepared to wait for approval from the Stockholm cathedral chapter and erected the cruciform church in 1763 in just 35 days.
2) Oravivuori triangulation tower – 19th century research station
In Korpilahti, at the top of Oravivuori, lies Oravivuori triangulation tower, one of Finland’s six points in the Struve chain. This is a triangulation chain extending from the Black Sea to the Arctic Ocean that was used in the 19th century to establish the shape of the earth. On this spot a triangulation tower has been erected to commemorate the importance of the Oravavuori (or Puolakka) measuring station to the mapping of Finland. Struve’s chain gained inclusion on the UNESCO world heritage list in 2005. Further information on Oravuori tel. +358 40 582 5105.
Natural History Museum of Central Finland
This you need to know!
Inclusion in the Unesco world heritage list requires that the site is a masterpiece of human creativity or exceptionally important evidence of a previous or existing culture. The number of world heritage sites currently stands at 911.
