Pertinotsa House, Helsinki
Among the many attractions found in the Seurasaari Museum, there is one truly massive, especially if measured against the surrounding “Chimneyless Cabins.” It is called the Pertinotsa House and is a North Russian-type of dwelling.
Built in 1884, the house was brought to the museum in the summer of 1939 from Suojärvi. This former part of Eastern Finland once bordered Russia's Karelia region and was heavily influenced by Russian traditions. It was lost to the Soviet Union after World War II.
Still in a habitable condition when transferred, the house belonged to Spirdo Makkonen, who lived in it with a large family. Typically for North Russia, the building has two floors and is designed to accommodate people and livestock under one roof. Half of the ground floor is a windowless warehouse space. The other half is given to the cattle barns, with the hay lofts above them. The animal sheds could be accessed from the residential side upstairs via the hay shelter.
The family's living quarters on the upper floors include the main room (Finnish: “Pirtti”) and the guest room (Russian: “Gornitsa”). Beneath them is the pantry. The icon in the stern corner of the main room tells about the orthodox religion of the residents. The oven with a log frame at the door of Pirtti was heated daily, as Karelia was quite used to eating soft bread and a variety of pies and oven dishes.
Built in 1884, the house was brought to the museum in the summer of 1939 from Suojärvi. This former part of Eastern Finland once bordered Russia's Karelia region and was heavily influenced by Russian traditions. It was lost to the Soviet Union after World War II.
Still in a habitable condition when transferred, the house belonged to Spirdo Makkonen, who lived in it with a large family. Typically for North Russia, the building has two floors and is designed to accommodate people and livestock under one roof. Half of the ground floor is a windowless warehouse space. The other half is given to the cattle barns, with the hay lofts above them. The animal sheds could be accessed from the residential side upstairs via the hay shelter.
The family's living quarters on the upper floors include the main room (Finnish: “Pirtti”) and the guest room (Russian: “Gornitsa”). Beneath them is the pantry. The icon in the stern corner of the main room tells about the orthodox religion of the residents. The oven with a log frame at the door of Pirtti was heated daily, as Karelia was quite used to eating soft bread and a variety of pies and oven dishes.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Helsinki. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Pertinotsa House on Map
Sight Name: Pertinotsa House
Sight Location: Helsinki, Finland (See walking tours in Helsinki)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Helsinki, Finland (See walking tours in Helsinki)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Helsinki, Finland
Create Your Own Walk in Helsinki
Creating your own self-guided walk in Helsinki is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Helsinki Introduction Walking Tour
Helsinki was created as a trading town by Swedish King Gustav I in 1550, but it is believed that Swedish settlers had arrived here in the 1300s. Sometimes called the “Daughter of the Baltic,” Helsinki is a port town through and through. Its close connection to its Baltic neighbors, Sweden and Russia, has shaped its history for better and worse over the last 400 years. Both Finnish and Swedish... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Seurasaari Island Walking Tour
Seurasaari Island in Helsinki is best known as the home to the popular open-air museum. This venue offers a glimpse into the life of Finland's countryside in various epochs, showcasing old, mainly wooden houses, some of which – once lived in by famous people in Finnish history – were transplanted to the island and thus became part of the museum.
Among the notable attractions here are... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Among the notable attractions here are... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Helsinki's Historical Churches
Because of Finland's former affiliations with neighboring Sweden and Russia, it's no wonder that the religious tapestry of Helsinki is dominated by Lutheran and Orthodox churches. Nonetheless, there are also some beautiful architectural expressions of other Christian denominations like Anglican and Catholic to be found in the city, each holding a special place in its religious narrative.... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Finnish Souvenir Shopping Tour
When in Helsinki, souvenir shopping can be an exciting adventure allowing you to bring home a memorable piece of Finland worth having in your household. Depending on your inclinations, these could include sauna bucket and ladle, traditional Finnish music instruments, hand-woven long-tufted rugs (ryija), Finnish vodka made from Arctic-grown berries, or something else.
Those in the know can give... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Those in the know can give... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Helsinki's Architectural Jewels
Typified by Nordic minimalism and refinement, the architecture of Helsinki is shaped primarily by the early neoclassical style and a regional form of Art Nouveau called Jugendstil. Still, it is the later work by modernist architect, Alvar Aalto, as well as the thriving contemporary designs deeply rooted in nature and local craft that give Helsinki, as well as Finland in general, their current... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
16 Distinctively Finnish Things to Buy in Helsinki
Shopping in Helsinki for an extraordinary range of tasteful and distinctive products is made simple and easy with the creation of a design district in the heart of the city which has many department stores, shopping centers, and boutique shops bunched together. The Finnish capital is a good city for...
Finnish Sweets and Pastries
The country of thousands of lakes and the magical homeland of Santa Claus, Finland is also a major producer of quality chocolate and many other sweet delights without which surviving long winter nights in this Nordic part of Europe would have been far too boring. Big on coffee, the Finns love their...