Bike & Rail trip to Mänttä-Vilppula
The morning sun shone across an almost cloudless sky as I climbed the stairs towards platform 5 at Tampere Railway Station. June would begin with a Bike & Rail adventure! In an initiative from the Visit Tampere led Sustainable Tourism Mobility project, testing is underway to assess the suitability of city bikes for tourism and […]
Art Route of Pinsiö
I started and ended the ring route to the beautiful scenery of Sasi village. I picked up my loyal travel companion Nishiki from the car´s bike rack and packed camera gear, a small backpack and a bottle of water. Sasintie provided an immediate uphill slope, but the scenery was so unbelievably beautiful that you could […]
Train & Bike & Boat to Mänttä-Vilppula Art Festival and Virrat village
For some time I had been thinking of a trip that would combine more aspects of “travelling on land” and of course, cycling at the forefront. So when the Mänttä Art Festival was popping up again and again in my mind, I thought it would be just the perfect destination. I transferred my bicycle […]
Following I.K.Inha’s footsteps
I didn´t know much about I.K. Inha beforehand, but since I decided to start and follow his footsteps around Virrat lake sites I definitely was interested to get to know this past great Finnish photographer, writer, translator, journalist and nature lover. Day 1 Distance 12 km Early Tuesday morning I packed my bike and belongings […]
Supernatural Pyhä-Näsi Part II: Taneli Santala and Matti Mutila
As already stated, the activity of the Hurstinen couple, who were the focus of the first part of “Supernatural Pyhä-Näsi”, was not a singular phenomenon, but a part of a long tradition of witchcraft in the Ruovesi region. In the second part of “Supernatural Pyhä-Näsi”, we take look at two other representatives of this continuum from the 1800s, Taneli Santala and Matti Mutila.
Supernatural Pyhä-Näsi Part I: Heikki and Hetastiina Hurstinen
There is an abundance of stories of supernatural occurrences and people immersed in the occult – witches, sages, and healers – in the Pyhä-Näsi region. Especially such stories are linked to the area of Ruovesi and its neighbouring municipalities. In previous centuries, Ruovesi has been widely known for its witches, and this reputation has been exploited in later years – there is a Noitakäräjät (Witch court) -happening organized there every summer.
Asunta-atelier and Naapuri of Ruovesi
Right in the vicinity of the centre of Ruovesi lies an artist’s home thus far unknown to the larger public. The place in question is a house called Naapuri (neighbour), the home of writer-poet-artist Heikki Asunta (1904–1959) and his family, which is nowadays inhabited by the nephew of Heikki Asunta, Iivu – he, too, a legendary figure in his own field.
The sculptures of Emil Wikström in the Pyhä-Näsi area
The region of Pyhä-Näsi played a significant role also in the life of perhaps the most notable Finnish sculptor of his time, Emil Wikström (1864–1942). Key locations of Wikström’s life can be found in several localities within Pyhä-Näsi, the most important being his home and studio Visavuori, which is situated in Sääksmäki village, a part of the city of Valkeakoski. Also, a numerous quantity of his public sculptures can be found in the area.
Ellen Thesleff’s Murole
One of the most well known Finnish painters, Ellen Thesleff (1869–1954), spent a significant part of her life in the area of Pyhä-Näsi – in the village of Murole in Ruovesi, to be precise, where her family had a summer villa called Casa Bianca. In Murole, Thesleff painted the local milieu and people and also made murals for the near-by Pekkala manor. Casa Bianca is no more, but the beautiful scenery of Murolekoski that inspired Thesleff still remains, to be experienced by any culturally hungry traveller.
Chocolate & wine
The first week of September overwhelmed us all by its consistent warmth. Well, here we are already in autumn and look at the benefits: no mosquitoes, wasps or any other injects – only soft wind and warmed up lakes after the long and exhausting summer. Sounds like a biker´s paradise. Day 1. Distance 83 km […]
