Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>
Alvar Aalto designed three four-story commercial and residential buildings in a prominent location in the center of Rovaniemi for local businessman Aarne Aho. Later, Aalto also designed the private house Maison Aho for the same family.
The Aho commercial and residential buildings are all located in the same block, forming a cohesive ensemble. The ground floors of the buildings house commercial spaces, while the upper floors originally contained apartments that have since been converted into office spaces.
Observant passersby may notice interesting details in the buildings that Aalto considered important. In addition to brick, the facades incorporate granite and, in some areas, copper. Over the years, the buildings have undergone renovations, and many of the fine details have been lost during these alterations.
On the facade of Koskikatu 20, Aalto designed a large bronze sculpture called "Aurora Borealis." The artwork depicts the Northern Lights, with a leaping fish at the bottom. The sculpture was executed by sculptor Heikki Häiväoja. For safety reasons, the artwork has been removed from the wall.
]]>
Alvar Aalto designed three four-story commercial and residential buildings in a prominent location in the center of Rovaniemi for local businessman Aarne Aho. Later, Aalto also designed the private house Maison Aho for the same family.
The Aho commercial and residential buildings are all located in the same block, forming a cohesive ensemble. The ground floors of the buildings house commercial spaces, while the upper floors originally contained apartments that have since been converted into office spaces.
Observant passersby may notice interesting details in the buildings that Aalto considered important. In addition to brick, the facades incorporate granite and, in some areas, copper. Over the years, the buildings have undergone renovations, and many of the fine details have been lost during these alterations.
On the facade of Koskikatu 20, Aalto designed a large bronze sculpture called "Aurora Borealis." The artwork depicts the Northern Lights, with a leaping fish at the bottom. The sculpture was executed by sculptor Heikki Häiväoja. For safety reasons, the artwork has been removed from the wall.
]]>
Alvar Aalto designed three four-story commercial and residential buildings in a prominent location in the center of Rovaniemi for local businessman Aarne Aho. Later, Aalto also designed the private house Maison Aho for the same family.
The Aho commercial and residential buildings are all located in the same block, forming a cohesive ensemble. The ground floors of the buildings house commercial spaces, while the upper floors originally contained apartments that have since been converted into office spaces.
Observant passersby may notice interesting details in the buildings that Aalto considered important. In addition to brick, the facades incorporate granite and, in some areas, copper. Over the years, the buildings have undergone renovations, and many of the fine details have been lost during these alterations.
On the facade of Koskikatu 20, Aalto designed a large bronze sculpture called "Aurora Borealis." The artwork depicts the Northern Lights, with a leaping fish at the bottom. The sculpture was executed by sculptor Heikki Häiväoja. For safety reasons, the artwork has been removed from the wall.
]]>
The Rovaniemi Civic Centre is, alongside Seinäjoki, the only completed urban center designed by Alvar Aalto in Finland. As early as 1961, the preliminary sketches for the library building included two other structures, which ultimately formed a seamlessly interconnected complex for administration and culture. The buildings are arranged in a fan-shaped layout on a park-like square known as Kansalaistori (Citizens' Square). The center's buildings open towards the city center.
The Rovaniemi City Hall, Hallituskatu 7
1961; 1984-1988
The Rovaniemi City Hall was completed as the final part of the Rovaniemi Civic Centre. Architect Elissa Aalto led the completion of the building based on Alvar Aalto's initial designs. The most striking feature of the building complex is the council chamber with its sculptural tower elements. The lower and longer part of the building remains partially concealed behind the larger mass.
The ground floor of the tower section of the building is made of dark granite, punctuated by white porcelain rod elements. The tall and narrow windows also play a significant role in creating an esteemed appearance. The tower is accentuated by its sloping roof, with its highest point facing towards the Citizens' Square or park. The lower part of the tower facing the square is set back, which lightens the overall impression of the otherwise massive structure. Another notable detail is the recessed speaker's balcony.
]]>
The Rovaniemi Civic Centre is, alongside Seinäjoki, the only completed urban center designed by Alvar Aalto in Finland. As early as 1961, the preliminary sketches for the library building included two other structures, which ultimately formed a seamlessly interconnected complex for administration and culture. The buildings are arranged in a fan-shaped layout on a park-like square known as Kansalaistori (Citizens' Square). The center's buildings open towards the city center.
Rovaniemi Library, Jorma Eton tie 6
1961-1965
The first building to be completed in the Rovaniemi Civic Centre was the library building. It consists of a long and low wing and a fan-shaped section above it, with windows prominently rising above the facade. In front of the library, there is a colonnade that adds a grand appearance to the building.
The library's interior is filled with natural light from numerous windows, complemented by various lighting fixtures designed by Aalto. Some of the furniture and lighting fixtures are from Artek's standard collection, but several unique lighting designs were specifically created for the library. In the spacious lending hall, there are peaceful reading areas that are slightly sunken compared to the rest of the space.
]]>
The Rovaniemi Civic Centre is, alongside Seinäjoki, the only completed urban center designed by Alvar Aalto in Finland. As early as 1961, the preliminary sketches for the library building included two other structures, which ultimately formed a seamlessly interconnected complex for administration and culture. The buildings are arranged in a fan-shaped layout on a park-like square known as Kansalaistori (Citizens' Square). The center's buildings open towards the city center.
Lappia Hall, Jorma Eton tie 8 A
1961; 1968-1972, 1973-1975
One of the distinctive features of the Lappia Hall is its softly curved roof forms that resemble the shape of mountains. The façade of the building, which opens towards the spacious park, is straight along its entire length, with the ground floor recessed. Light-colored brick and porcelain rods are used in the façades, accentuated by the dark granite at the entrance.
The interior of the lobby and staircase features "Lapland marble," also known as Loue limestone, and the walls are adorned with dark blue ceramic rods, creating a luxurious atmosphere.
The first, lower part of the building was completed in 1972, followed by the main part designed for the theater in 1975. The inauguration of Lappia Hall in 1976 marked the last opening ceremony attended by Alvar Aalto himself.
Originally designed as a multi-purpose building, Lappia Hall has been home to various organizations over the decades. Lappia Hall serves as a magnificent venue for events, theater, and music.
]]>“That night was the first moonlit night of the winter and the wedding of the smallest elf boy and the smallest elf girl. The bride was the youngest and smallest of 365 siblings. That was why her wedding was so late. Her siblings had celebrated theirs in the summer, when the cherry trees and the lilies bloomed.
That night, the little groom snuck away from home and, in tears, he wondered around the forest. The wedding was only an hour away, and he had no flowers to give his bride. The little elf girl would probably cry until her bright eyes turned red. That’s when the little elf boy noticed a small tree covered in shimmering white flowers. In a hurry, he wiped the tears from his eyes. He could hardly believe it.
The little elf boy ran to the tree. It was the same little birch that had cried her branches sodden. The frost had turned her tears white, and the moonlight made them glint. The little elf could hardly tell it was the same tree.
‘Prettier flowers my bride couldn’t wish for,’ the little elf thought, picking up as many branches as he could carry. How happy it made the little elf bride, and everyone said she was the prettiest little bride there ever had been.
The lonely birch of Ounasvaara grew, and she watched her siblings on Pöyliövaara Hill.
‘I no longer regret that it was here the wind carried me,’ she said. ‘After all, I saw how happy that little elf bride was. Joy, there’s no greater thing in the world.’”
2 WEDDINGS, WHAT THEY MEAN, WHAT THEY CONTAIN AND WHAT THEIR PURPOSE IS
Discuss these questions together. Have you been to a wedding? What did you see there, what did you hear, what did you do? What makes a good wedding? What emotions do weddings contain? Think about love, what it consists of and what it means to the couples getting married (such as valuing others).
3 MAKE A WEDDING GIF OUT OF NATURAL MATERIALS
Work together to make a wedding gift out of natural materials you find around you for the couple getting married. Present the gift to the couple. You can also do this in smaller groups, in pairs or individually. Once you are done, present your gifts to the couple.
4 COMPOSE A WEDDING SONG OR POEM AND PRESENT IT
Together or in pairs, compose a wedding song or poem for the couple getting married and perform it for the rest of the group. You can perform the song or poem in the character of an elf or a birch or as yourself.
5 THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH SINGS OF JOY AND LOVE
Song title: Joy, No Greater Thing in the World. Work together to come up with lyrics for the song and sing it together in the character of the birch to the other trees of Ounasvaara.
6 THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH DANCES WITH JOY
Everyone takes turns to play the birch or an elf and dances a short dance about the joy of the birch while everyone else encourages and celebrates with her. Keep going until everyone has performed their own dance. You can also do this in pairs, with each pair performing the Ounasvaara birch’s dance of joy together to the rest of the group. Each pair should take a turn performing the dance. Alternatively, you could perform a dance expressing the joy of the bride and groom. You can also perform the dance together as a group. You could even perform the Ounasvaara birch’s branch dance by using sticks and twigs you find on the ground.
7 READ THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE FROM START TO FINISH
With your eyes closed, listen to one person reading the fairytale from start to finish. When the story is over, open your eyes.
8 FINALLY
Take the hand of the person to your left and the person to your right and form a circle. Together, repeat the words “I am good!” twice. Then, repeat the words “We are good!” twice.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
Together, think about what it means to feel longing. Give examples from your own life of when and how you’ve experienced longing. How does longing affect you? How do you deal with longing?
2 READ PART FIVE OF THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE
“The winter gale agreed.
‘Out of my way!’ it yelled as it beat the bare arms of the little birch tree.
‘The north is no place for you to bare your arms just because of some new fashion trend,’ said the pine, covered in its thick coat of needles.
The little birch tree heard all of it but didn’t answer. She craned her neck and, between the branches of the conifers, she saw Pöyliövaara Hill where her siblings stood.
‘I wish I could go there,’ she thought to herself.
A spruce sapling heard her sigh. ‘You’ll never get there,’ it said. ‘Us spruces, we can go all the way down to the town and into people’s homes at Christmas, but no one’s going to notice you up here.’
The little birch tree held out her arms and cried bitter tears. The tears streamed down her branches. They came faster and faster, and soon the little birch was soaked and cold.
That night was the first moonlit night of the winter and the wedding of the smallest elf boy and the smallest elf girl. The bride was the youngest and smallest of 365 siblings. That was why her wedding was so late. Her siblings had celebrated theirs in the summer, when the cherry trees and the lilies bloomed.”
3 DRAW YOUR OUTLINE ON THE GROUND OR USE A NEARBY BIRCH TREE
If you cannot draw a person’s outline or a birch tree on the ground, one of you can play the person or birch. You could also gather around a nearby birch tree. Together, think about where different emotions are felt in a person’s body or a birch tree (roots/trunk/branches/leaves), say it out loud and point to the place on the outline or the tree. Think about what colour that emotion is. Take, for example, the emotion of love. You might feel love in your chest, your heart, maybe even your hands. In a birch tree, love could be felt near the top of the trunk, in the roots or in the branches. Love might take the colour red. Start with the emotion of longing and where it’s felt, then take other negative emotions, such as annoyance, hate, grief and anger, and finally move on to positive emotions, such as love and joy.
4 THE LONGING OF THE BIRCH TREE AND EMOTIONS
Everyone start by doing the stages of the birch tree’s growth (seed – roots – trunk – branches – leaves). Next, everyone think about the emotion of longing and what the birch tree longs for, then express the birch tree’s longing through yourself. Then, think about another emotion, such as fear, and consider what the birch tree is afraid of and express that feeling. Then move on to the next emotion, such as joy. Think about what makes your birch tree feel joy and express that feeling. Each of you should think about the birch tree’s emotions independently at the same time. You can either have the leader of the group choose the emotions, or you can choose them together. Then, everyone takes a moment to think about why the birch is feeling this emotion. The leader of the group decides when everyone has had enough time, and then everyone expresses the emotions of their birch tree together. You can repeat this as many times as you want. Alternatively, everyone can present the emotions of the birch as a group or those who want to do so can present them to the rest of the group. After expressing your birch tree’s emotions, you can also optionally explain why it felt the way it did. When moving on to a new emotion, everyone should straighten up to a fully grown birch. You do not need to repeat the growing stages. Simply think about why your birch tree feels that particular emotion and then express it in the character of the tree.
5 THE SOUNDS OF THE BIRCH TREE’S LONGING AND JOY
Together, make sounds that represent the birch tree’s longing by using your mouth and natural materials you find around you. Then, make sounds that represent the birch tree’s joy. Think about how the sounds that represent longing differ from the sounds that represent joy.
6 THE SAD BIRCH, HOW TO DEAL WITH GRIEF AND WHAT OTHERS CAN DO TO HELP
One person plays the part of the sad birch. Everyone else plays the part of pine trees who are verbally and physically comforting the birch. The pine trees can tell an imaginary story about their own experiences to comfort the birch. At the end, the pines are successful, and the birch is no longer sad.
7 I WANT TO BE HEARD
Either split up into pairs (one whisperer and one listener) or have one person play the whisperer and everyone else be the listeners. The whisperer whispers something positive about themselves, either a skill or a characteristic, such as “I can ride a bike” or “I am an honest person”. Repeat the phrase, starting off by whispering it as softly as you can and gradually saying it louder and louder until the listener hears what you are saying. Once the listener hears the phrase, they repeat it back. If the listener does not hear the phrase or repeats it back incorrectly, the whisperer repeats it again. Keep going until the listener repeats the phrase back word for word.
The whisperer should give the listener a moment to repeat the phrase back before whispering it again a little louder. Once the listener hears the whisper clearly and repeats the phrase back word for word, the whisperer and listener swap roles. Repeat this until both people have said 2–4 positive things about themselves.
8 ACCEPTING AND SEEING OTHERS BY MIRRORING THEM
Split up into pairs, with one person playing the role of the mirror by mimicking what the other person does. Start with slow, easy movements, such as raising your hand and laying it on top of your stomach. The mirror tries to repeat whatever the other person does as closely as possible. Once the mirror can easily reflect the other person’s movements, you can increase the difficulty by making quicker and more complicated movements. It is important to maintain a connection with the mirror, so don’t raise the difficulty too quickly. Next, swap roles: The person being mirrored becomes the mirror and vice versa. If you want, you can also make noises that the mirror has to try and repeat.
9 HUG. HOW DOES IT FEEL?
Split up into pairs. Each pair finds a birch that looks weak, small or unwell. First, each person hugs the birch separately, then both hug it at the same time. What do you think this feels like for the birch? Next, the pairs hug each other. Finally, everyone in the group comes together for a group hug.
10 PLAY FOLLOW THE LEADER
Take turns playing the leader. As the leader, everyone else follows your lead. Follow the leader is all about succeeding together, the joy of play and having fun. For example, you can pretend you’re carrying a heavy boulder from one place to another. When you succeed, congratulate each other on the feat you’ve just accomplished. Pat yourself on the knees, stomach, legs or head. Everyone follows the leader’s lead and everyone has fun. The leader can joke around, make funny faces and movements, and everyone else tries to copy them. You can include speaking, making noises, dancing, movements and anything fun. Each player ends their turn as the leader by hugging a birch or a pine, and everyone else follows along.
11 READ THE END OF PART FIVE OF THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE AGAIN
That night was the first moonlit night of the winter and the wedding of the smallest elf boy and the smallest elf girl. The bride was the youngest and smallest of 365 siblings. That was why her wedding was so late. Her siblings had celebrated theirs in the summer, when the cherry trees and the lilies bloomed.
12 FINALLY
Discuss how the Ounasvaara Birch fairytale might end. Make guesses together.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
“‘You’re useless,’ said the little pine, still so short it barely poked out from between the rocks. ‘You’re no use to anybody. Look at my needles. If anyone gets close, I’ll put their eye out.’
The little pine was so self-assured because no danger had ever approached it.
‘I think it’s completely inappropriate for a birch to grow here,’ said the old spruce, thin, spindly, prickly and prudish. Not once had a cone decorated her branches, nor a bird chosen her as its perch. ‘I’ll say it again: This is no place for a young birch. Why, she’s the image of vanity! Wasn’t she decorating herself in red and yellow in the autumn and twisting and twirling enough to make you feel sick? And when the first gust of wind came by, she dropped all her leaves, the pretence fell away, and now all that’s left is a naked birch of a girl. You feel ashamed just to see it.’
And the spruce covered her face and turned away.”
2 WHAT DOES BULLYING FEEL LIKE AND WHAT DOES BULLYING MEAN?
Talk about bullying. Have you ever been bullied? What should you do if you see someone being bullied? What does it feel like to be bullied, how does bullying affect the person being bullied, what causes bullying? What can we do to prevent it?
3 TALK TO THE BULLIED BIRCH TREE
As a group, gather around the small bullied birch. The leader of the group or someone else plays the role of the birch that has been bullied. The other members of the group ask questions, such as what situations the bullying has been taking place in, what form it takes and what can be done to address it. The person playing the birch or one or more of the people asking questions can relate a true or imagined bullying situation, and then the group can work together to decide how to resolve it. You can repeat this by swapping who plays the birch.
4 TALK TO THE PINE OR SPRUCE BULLYING THE BIRCH
As a group, gather around the pine or spruce that is responsible for the bullying. One person plays the role of the bullying pine or spruce. Then, the group discusses the bullying from the perspective of the bully. You can repeat this by swapping who plays the bully.
5 THE BULLIED BIRCH TALKS TO THE BULLYING PINE OR SPRUCE
Split up into pairs, with one person playing the birch and the other person playing the bullying pine or spruce. What questions do the birch and the bully ask each other when they come face to face? What do they talk about? They may not look and act the same, and they may disagree on many things, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. The birch and the bully eventually become friends by talking to each other. In your pairs, you can discuss what friendship means to the birch, the pine and the spruce. The same pair can repeat the discussion by swapping roles. Larger groups can also rotate people around to form new pairs and repeat the discussion.
6 THE DANCE OF THE BIRCH AND THE PINES OR SPRUCES
Split the group into two, with one half playing the birch and the other half playing the pines or spruces. Everyone find a spot and grow into either a birch or a pine or spruce. Seed – roots – trunk – branches – leaves/needles. Next, each tree plays a song in their head and begins to move to the rhythm without leaving their spot. The trees get carried away by the music and begin dancing around, moving freely. The birches dance with other birches and the pines or spruces dance amongst each other. The birches and the pines or spruces drift together and dance with each other for a moment. They notice each other and keep dancing together. The dance ends in a group hug.
7 THE BIRCH HUG AND THE QUIRKS, PERSONALITY AND STRENGTHS OF THE BIRCH
Find a birch you want to befriend. Go to the birch and examine it closely. You can also compliment it. Hug the birch and tell it how much you value its friendship. Everyone think of 1–3 things about the birch that make you happy or proud. You can also think of the birch’s quirks, personality or strengths, such as a wonderful singing voice. Then, each person introduces their birch to the other members of the group and tells them what is unique about it.
8 EXPLORING AND ACCEPTING DIVERSITY IN YOUR SURROUNDINGS
Look for 2–3 different natural materials in your surroundings. For example, everyone finds a rock and then comes together to compare them, examine them and explore how they differ from each other. Once you’ve done that, think of positive aspects of diversity and what makes diversity a good thing.
9 WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT AND WHAT MAKES US THE SAME
Take a moment to reflect on how the differences you just discussed apply to your own group in real life.
10 FINALLY
Finally, everyone think of a single sentence that praises the power of diversity and why diversity in nature, animals and humans is so important. Then, say that sentence out loud to your surroundings. If you want, you can choose to focus entirely on diversity in nature, animals or humans when you say your sentence. For example, you could say that the nature surrounding you gives you joy and strength thanks to the diversity of trees and rocks within it, that diversity among people is the spice of life or that different animals are interesting. When thinking about your sentence, you can use a positive feeling or emotion that diversity gives you.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
Which ones are conifers and which are broad-leaved trees? How do they differ from each other? What kinds of characteristics do different tree species have?
2 THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH
Find a birch tree and examine it with all your senses. Touch it, smell it, look at it closely, consider what it tastes like and what sounds it has heard over the years it has spent rooted to this spot. Justify why this one birch tree is a unique and valuable individual.
3 PHOTOGRAPH THE BIRCH
Using the thumb and forefinger of both hands, pretend you’re holding a camera. Place your imaginary camera over the birch. Look through the viewfinder between your fingers and press them together to snap a photo, then pull them apart again. You can snap photos from close up, far away, the left or the right, below or above. Everyone take 3–4 pictures of the birch. After you are done, everyone choose one of the photos you took and explain to each other why this photo in particular is special and important.
4 THE STORY OF THE BIRCH
Together or in pairs, tell the story of the birch. How did it end up here, what has happened to it in the past, what difficulties and challenges has it faced growing to its current size and what is it feeling right now? What has it seen over the course of its life? What have been the highlights and why? What would the birch like to do and become when it grows up? What kinds of dreams does the birch have? Share your thoughts with each other.
5 THINK ABOUT THE THREATS THAT AFFECT THE BIRCH AND THE LONELINESS IT FEELS FROM ITS OWN PERSPECTIVE
What kinds of threats and dangers could the birch encounter during its lifetime? Talk about loneliness. Create an improvised performance or still frame of the threats affecting the birch. Then, talk more about loneliness. One person in the group should take on the role of the birch and tell the others what it feels like to be alone and how it affects the life of the birch. You can take turns being the birch and talking about your feelings in front of the group.
6 READ PART THREE OF THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE
“But, among the many conifers of Ounasvaara Hill, grew one small birch. No one knew what sudden gust of wind had carried the seed there, but there it grew, orphaned and alone among the conifers.”
7 A BIRCH SEED ON THE WIND
Everyone curl up into a birch seed. Imagine the wind picking up the seed and carrying it far until finally dropping it on the ground. This can occur several times as the wind calms, only for another gust to come along.
8 THE STAGES OF A BIRCH TREE’S GROWTH
Seed – roots – trunk – branches – leaves. Repeat this multiple times and grow into different birch trees. Start by curling up into a seed on the ground. Then, slowly rise upwards, feeling the ground with your roots (you can stomp your feet to feel the soil beneath your soles), then straighten up, making a tree trunk with your body. Swing your arms out and spread your fingers to grow branches, taking on the shape of the unique birch you want to grow into. The small branches, represented by your fingers, can twist into different shapes. The leaves appear with a wave of your fingers and reach their full size as your fingers fall still.
9 THE EMOTIONS OF A BIRCH
Explore different emotions through the birch. Start by exploring the tree’s longing. Think of a reason for why the birch is feeling what it’s feeling. The birch is afraid or angry, it hates, it enjoys, it pampers a puppy, it feels joy. Together, come up with different feelings or sensations for the birch, such as feeling cold, feeling hot or sweating.
10 THE DREAMS OF THE BIRCH
Together, think about what the birch tree’s dreams and aspirations are and what it wants from its future. This part can also take the form of a one-word story, in which one person in the group starts with the first word of the story, the next person says another word, then the next person says another and this continues until the group has told the story of the birch tree’s dreams and aspirations. The leader of the group decides when the story is complete. Alternatively, the leader can set a time limit, such as one minute, after which the story ends. The story doesn’t need to be a one-word story; each person can also be allowed to say two, three or four words at a time.
11 IMAGINATION BIRCH
Start by choosing a spot and becoming a birch (do the stages of growing into a tree: seed – roots – trunk – branches – leaves). You are rooted to the spot, but the birches want to wander. The birches try to move, but their roots hold them still. They struggle but cannot unroot themselves. Each birch thinks about how wonderful it would be if they could wander around the landscape. They try to move again. After struggling hard, their roots come out of the ground and they’re free. Now, each birch learns to move in its own unique way. Everyone tries different ways of moving like a birch would and finds a solution of their own. Then, everyone shows each other how their individual birch moves. The others imitate. Then it’s the next birch tree’s turn to show how they move, and everyone else imitates. Keep going until each birch has shown off how they move. Then work together to figure out what the birch wants to do now that anything is possible. Then do it. For example, maybe the birch wants to try jumping on a trampoline, swimming, playing football or eating a sweet bun.
12 FINALLY
Grow into trees side by side, each birch growing together into one tree. Alternatively, you could split into pairs and start by growing into separate birches before coming together as one friendship birch. You could also stay as one group and come together into one big friendship birch.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
“In the summer and winter, Ounasvaara and Pöyliövaara are each as green and beautiful as the other, but in the spring, when the light of the sun brings the leaves back to life, there’s no missing just how different their trees are. Ounasvaara, covered in conifers, is as evenly green as ever, but Pöyliövaara is dotted with spots of a brighter shade – broad-leaved trees waking up after the winter. In the summer, the conifers and broad-leaved trees take on similar colours and blend together once again, but in the autumn, when the leaves turn red and yellow, Pöyliövaara glows warmly in its bright colours, while Ounasvaara remains as green as ever.
2 LOOK AT THE LANDSCAPE OPENING UP IN FRONT OF YOU
Look closely at the view in front of you. What colours do you see? Together, think about how the different seasons change this landscape. What kinds of colours does each season bring with it? What does nature mean to humans? What can you do in nature?
3 EXPLORE THE PINES, SPRUCES AND BIRCH TREES
Together, find a pine tree and explore it. Then, find a spruce and explore it. Then, find a birch and explore it. When you explore the trees, use all your senses.
4 MIME THE SEASONS
Think of 2–3 situations in each season and act out those situations. AUTUMN: For example, the birch tree is shedding its leaves, so you follow the leaves with your eyes as they fall or you imagine yourself to be a leaf floating down to the ground. Collect blueberries from your surroundings and eat them. WINTER: For example, imagine yourself to be birch trees – cold, trying to shake snow from your branches. Build an imaginary snowman or have a snowball fight. Go skiing. Imagine the Northern Lights in the sky, become the Northern Lights dancing and glowing softly high above. SPRING: For example, imagine yourself to be snowmen melting slowly in the sun. Be birch trees waking up from your winter slumber, sprouting new leaves on your branches, smelling the scents of spring, listening to the babble of the brook, seeing the bears awaken from their hibernation. SUMMER: For example, imagine the feeling of your branches swaying in the cool summer breeze. The heat is sweltering, the sun is bright. What does the birch see in the summer? As people seize the season, the birch sees children swimming in the lake, joggers trotting past, families picnicking. If you prefer, instead of a birches or humans, you could imagine yourself to be animals or fairytale characters.
5 EXPLORE THE ENVIRONMENT
Search your surroundings for 1–3 natural materials you find interesting – rocks, branches, moss, pinecones. Show each other what you’ve found and tell a short, seasonal story about your chosen materials. Alternatively, you could come up with a story together, maybe about a rock. You could also choose the materials together. Take, for example, a pinecone. Take turns examining it, smelling it, tasting it, feeling its surface and listening to the noises it makes. Everyone come up with a short story about the pinecone and take turns telling them.
6 WHY THIS DETAIL?
Explore and move around your surroundings. Find details that you find intriguing. What detail in the nature surrounding you do you find beautiful, ugly, scary, dangerous, unpleasant, appealing, tasty, artistic, affectionate or lovely? Choose 1–2 details in nature and explain to each other why you find them ugly or beautiful or whatever it is you feel about them. You could also choose 1–2 things and explain to each other what you can do with them.
7 TELL A FICTIONAL STORY ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE
Each person can choose to tell a short, fictional story related to the environment or landscape in front of you. Alternatively, you could split up into pairs.
8 IMMERSE YOURSELVES IN THE FICTION
Together, come up with an activity from the perspective of plants, trees or animals and then do it as a group. You could play the part of the wind as it quickens into a storm, the leaves of the trees falling to the ground, the sun shining warmly and melting the snow, a babbling brook, a piece of ice floating along the surface of the water, the rain, the frost or a lonely snowflake.
9 CREATE THE SOUNDSCAPES OF THE SEASONS
Do this activity together. Think about what kinds of sounds you hear in the autumn, winter, spring and summer. Mimic the sounds of the seasons with your mouth and with natural materials in your immediate environment, such as rocks and branches. Then, create the soundscapes of autumn, winter, spring and summer.
10 YOUR FAVOURITE SPOT IN YOUR SURROUNDINGS
Find a favourite spot for yourself in your surroundings. Once everyone has found a favourite spot, stay there. Next, take turns introducing each other to your new favourite spots. Tell each other why you chose the spot you did, what the good and bad things about it are and what you can do there.
11 FINALLY
Everyone tell each other what your favourite season is and why. Once everyone has taken their turn, think together about what the favourite season of the Ounasvaara Birch is and why.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
Close your eyes and calm your breathing. Focus on your senses one by one. What do your ears hear? What does your nose smell? What does the ground beneath your feet feel like? The leader of the group asks everyone to open their eyes and say what they see in front of them. What could you eat, and what would it taste like?
2 READ PART ONE OF THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE
“The Ounasvaara and Pöyliövaara Hills are siblings. They rise up on opposite sides of the Kemijoki River, each as rocky and forested as the other. But climb to the top of one and you will see just how different these siblings are. Ounasvaara is old, stern and steady. It’s top is hidden from below, and it rises steadily higher and higher, and when, after a long trek, you finally find yourself at the summit, the view is spectacular. A rolling, uninhabited wilderness stretching as far as the eye can see. Pöyliövaara, on the other hand, is something else entirely. Those wanting to climb it have to scramble up a steep slope to reach the summit. The view from the top is ordered and friendly, houses standing in neat rows like toys on the floor.”
3 NATURE IS FULL OF DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCES. WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Take turns pointing out the differences you see around you in nature. Look ahead, to the right, to the left and behind you.
4 SHOW EACH OTHER DIFFERENT WAYS OF MOVING THROUGH YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Explore different ways of moving through your environment and try opposite approaches – slow and fast, small steps and big, gentle and strong, timid and bold, jumping, limping, sneaking – all at once or one at a time.
5 MOVING THROUGH DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS
Reflect on how different conditions shape how people around the world move through their environments. Think about the different ways people in Finland move through the environment depending on the season. Then, move together like you were in these environments – slippery ice, dense jungle or forest, searing desert, deep bog, a field of boulders, a manicured lawn, waist-deep water and anything else you can think of. Imagine different situations like jumping in a puddle, carrying a heavy boulder from one place to another, getting swarmed by mosquitoes.
6 TAKE ON THE ROLE OF A CHARACTER AND MOVING THROUGH THE WORLD OF THE FAIRYTALE
Each person comes up with a fairytale character or creature and moves like they would through the world of the fairytale. It could be an elf, a goblin, a robot, a dragon, a monster, a Moomin, a Hattifattener, a gnome, a witch, a fairy or anything else. Imagine the fairytale places they would find themselves in and how they would move through them. Think about what the fairytale world is like. Maybe, in the fairytale, you feel light as a feather and float lightly along on the wind. Maybe it’s hard to stay upright, and your fairytale character always has to balance themselves. You might move through the fairytale world by bouncing, creeping, dashing, pulling your feet out of the mud as it tries to swallow each step, skipping across floating stones, whisking yourself forward with a magic wand, skipping along like you’re on the moon. The ground underfoot could be slimy or sticky, it could tickle your feet or squelch wetly with every step. The earth could tremor constantly underfoot, or it could do anything you can imagine.
7 WHO OR WHAT COULD BE LIVING IN THE SCENE OPENING UP IN FRONT OF YOU
Each person names 1–3 animals that could be living in the environment you see in front of you. Why? Tell each other about situations or events the animal has experienced. Then do the same thing again but imagine what kind of imaginary creature or fairytale character could live there. Why do they live there? What have they felt and experienced? What moments of joy have they had in this environment?
8 FINALLY
Everyone use 1–4 words to describe the environment in front of you. For example: “beautiful”, “colourful”, “bright” or “full of rocks”.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
The sculpture is about 120 metres long and its tallest point stands at 2.3 metres.
The premise of the sculpture is lightness and airiness, and the artist wants to overcome the heaviness of bronze as a material. Although the sculpture is large and made of a heavy material, it is light and vibrant in shape - the thin stem seems to disperse the mass to almost nothing.
The sculpture was acquired by the State Art Commission on the initiative of the Lapland provincial arts committee. The committee invited Hannele Kylänpää to design the sculpture and gave her free artistic rein.
The sculpture is about 120 metres long and its tallest point stands at 2.3 metres.
The log-built hut is situated on the shore of Lake Saittajärvi next to a road. The hut is spacious and has a fireplace and benches against walls. There is a woodshed and dry toilet in the vicinity.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 2.6 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn left onto Ounasjoen itäpuolentie road for approx. 48.4 km, turn right onto Suopajärventie road for approx. 11.2 km, turn left onto Saittajärventie road for approx. 12 km, turn right into the parking area. The hut is at the edge of the parking area.
The log-built lean-to is situated by a lake on dry heath surrounded by tall trees. The lean-to comprises a campfire site. There is a woodshed, dry toilet and boat ramp in the vicinity.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 20.7 km along Kittiläntie road to Sinettä, from where along Pellontie road for approx. 11.2 km, turn right onto Nuorajärventie road for approx. 4.9 km, turn right onto a forest truck road for approx. 5 km, turn left onto road tracks for approx. 240 m to reach the parking area and continue on foot for approx. 50 m to the lean-to by the lake. A snowmobiling track passes near the lean-to.
The log-built lean-to is situated on a beautiful spot in a massive old forest by a pond. There is a campfire site surrounded by benches at the lean-to. There is a woodshed and dry toilet in the vicinity.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 5 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn left onto Norvatie road for approx. 6.7 km, turn left onto Norvan länsitie road for approx. 19.5 km, turn right onto a forest truck road for approx. 1 km, turn right at a junction for approx. 1 km, turn right at a junction for approx. 300 m, turn left at a junction for approx. 650 m, turn left along the trail to reach the lean-to at approx. 430 m. A snowmobiling track passes next to the lean-to.
The spacious log-built lean-to is situated by a beautiful forest pond surrounded by sturdy shoreline pines. The lean-to offers a view over the pond. The lean-to has benches, but there is no campfire site. There are steps leading down from the lean-to to a separate campfire site by the pond. The campfire site is surrounded by benches and there is a table, woodshed and dry toilet in the vicinity.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 2.6 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn right onto Kuusamontie road to Vanttauskoski approx. 49.3 km, turn right onto Kuusamontie road for approx. 1.5 km, turn left onto Kuusamontie road for approx. 2 km, turn right onto Kivalontie road for approx. 650 m to reach the parking area on the left. The distance from the parking area along road tracks to the lean-to is approx. 50 m.
Environment: Northern end of Lake Sinettäjärvi. Surrounded by old range.
Avifauna: Waterbirds, waders and such nest in the area. The area serves as a resting spot for swans and geese in the spring and autumn.
The best bird season: May.
Source: Lapin lintutieteellinen yhdistys, http://www.lly.fi/
]]>Environment: River Kemijoki inlet and river bed. Surrounded by fields.
Avifauna: In the spring, the bird-watching tower is an ideal spot for observing an abundance of waders during the sludge period, such as spotted redshanks, typical waders and red-necked phalaropes. The presence of sludge is, however, dependent on the regulation of River Kemijoki. In the autumn, swans and ducks feed at the inlet. Also the quite large areas of fields attract birds.
The best bird season: May–June and September–October.
Top observations: grey heron, barnacle goose, gadwall, pallid harrier, Eurasian oystercatcher, great snipe, red knot, sanderling, long-eared owl, red-breasted flycatcher, lesser grey shrike.
Source: Lapin lintutieteellinen yhdistys, http://www.lly.fi/
]]>Environment: Lush River Kemijoki inlet with bog-like shore.
Avifauna: Diverse selection of waterbirds and charadriiformes nest in the area. The nesting species include the smew, spotted redshank and common redshank. The Paavalniemi tower is a popular spot for observing migration especially in the spring (starting at the end of April).
The best bird season: Starting from mid-May.
Top observations: great skua, barnacle goose, gadwall, western marsh-harrier, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, common moorhen, ruddy turnstone, long-tailed jaeger, glaucous gull, arctic warbler.
Source: Lapin lintutieteellinen yhdistys, http://www.lly.fi/
]]>The observation tower is situated on top of Hopianulkki Hill along the Kaihuanvaara hiking trail at the height of approx. 345 m from sea level. The low-rise uncovered tower is similar to elk-hunting towers. The tower is surrounded mainly by spruce-dominant forest. The tower offers great views over the forests of Kaihuanvaara.
Siren’s cabin is located at the beginning of the Kaihuanvaara hiking trail. The day-trip hut is equipped with a stove, table and benches. A stream runs near the hut for taking water. The water quality is not, however, monitored. The yard features a dry toilet, woodshed and campfire site. You can take pets inside but only if others agree. There are no waste bins at the cabin, so you have to take back all your waste with you.
The Porkkalampi lean-to is situated at approx. 3.1 km from the observation tower along the Kaihuanvaara hiking trail. There is a campfire site surrounded by benches at the lean-to. There is a woodshed and dry toilet in the vicinity.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 2.6 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn right onto Kuusamontie road to Vanttauskoski approx. 49.3 km, take Pirttikoskentie road for 6.3 km, turn left onto Kaarnijärventie road for approx. 2.1 km, turn right onto Kaihuanvaara circular road for approx. 3.3 km to find the parking area on your right. The distance from the parking area to the tower along the Kaihuanvaara hiking trail is approx 2 km.
]]>The log-built Salmijärvi lean-to is situated on the shore of the lake in an atmospheric spit with a lot of birches. The lean-to area is graveled. There is a campfire site, sleeping platform, benches and a waste bin at the lean-to.
Drive along the Kajaanintie road from the city centre of Rovaniemi; turn to Ranuantie, and drive for approx. 2.2 km; turn left to Kolpeneentie, and drive for approx. 280m; turn right and drive to the parking area, which is approx. 70 m away. There is about a 30 m walk from the parking area to the lean-to and the lake shore.
]]>Directions: drive 25.6 km out of Rovaniemi along Sodankyläntie to Vikajärvi; turn right into the Vikaköngäs parking area (200 m). Take the Könkäiden Trail across the suspension bridge via Könkäänvaara to the Kivalonaapa Meadow Cabin (5 km). You can also reach the cabin via the trails that start at the Vaattunkiköngäs parking area. In the winter, you can come on skis or snowshoes.
]]>The hut is equipped with a stove, table, bench, and sleeping platform for 3–4 people. Outside by the shore, there is a separate campfire site with benches. There are also a woodshed and outhouse nearby. Pets are allowed, but only if all other possible visitors agree. There are no waste bins, so you have to take back all your garbage.
Directions: drive 2.6 km out of the city centre of Rovaniemi along Sodankyläntie; turn right on Kuusamontie; drive 49.3 km to Vanttauskoski; turn left on Vanttausjärventie; drive 15.7 km; turn right on Köyryjärventie; drive 4 km; turn right on Herantie; drive 5.7 km; turn right into the parking area. Continue on foot along the old road (in poor condition) to the wilderness hut, 700 m.
]]>Environment: An eutrophic bird lake in the middle of the city.
Avifauna: In 1967–1998, a total of 85 species have been observed at Harjulampi. 32 of these nest at the pond regularly, 17 species nest there occasionally and the remaining 36 species come there either to feed or rest during migration. The nesting species of the area include great crested grebe, common redshank and little gull. The pond is a nesting site for a black-headed gull colony of approx. 300 couples. 12 anseriformes and 11 waders have nested in the area. Especially in the autumn, many waders gather at Harjulampi.
The best bird season: May and August–September.
Top observations: great cormorant, Canada goose, Eurasian coot, grey plover, great snipe, whimbrel and sanderling.
Other: A small guide book to the avifauna of Harjulampi is available free-of-charge at the Alvari service point of the City of Rovaniemi.
Source: Lapin lintutieteellinen yhdistys, http://www.lly.fi/
]]>Directions: drive 3.9 km out of the city centre of Rovaniemi along the Kajaanintie road, which turns into Ranuantie; turn right on Kemijoen itäpuolentie; drive 500 m; turn left on Kotikairantie; drive 400 m to the starting point of the Pöyliövaara accessible trail. You can also park your car in the nearby Virikkolammenreitti parking area. The trail is open when free of snow from May to October. There are several daily bus connections to the parking area.
]]>The low-rise uncovered tower is similar to elk-hunting towers. The observation tower is situated on top of Kontonulkki at the height of approx. 265 m from sea level. The tower is surrounded by a massive forest and there is a cliff nearby. The tower offers magnificent views over the lakes in the area.
There is a log-built lean-to next to the observation tower. The lean-to comprises a campfire site and a woodshed in the vicinity. There is no dry toilet or waste bin in the area.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 37.7 km along Kittiläntie road, turn left onto Mukkajärventie road for approx. 3.7 km, turn left onto a forest truck road to Maunuvaara Hill for approx. 1.6 km to a boom, continue on foot along the forest truck road for approx. 1 km, then tracks and trail to the tower, in total approx. 1.9 km. The track and trail are marked with posts.
]]>
The log-built wilderness hut sits in a massive pine forest on a beautiful heath. In the past, a recluse lived in the wilderness hut.
The wilderness hut is equipped with a stove, small table, a couple of chairs and a bunk that accommodates 3–4 persons to sleep. The yard features a campfire site and dry toilet. Firewood can be found against the hut wall.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 5 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn left onto Norvatie road for approx. 6.7 km, turn left onto Norvan länsitie road for approx. 25.9 km, turn left onto a forest truck road for approx. 5.7 km, turn right onto a forest truck road along the edge of Kätkävaara Hill for approx. 3.5 km, turn right and follow the trail for approx. 100 m to the wilderness hut.
]]>
The small log-built lean-to is situated near the shore of River Ounasjoki. The lean-to comprises a campfire site and a woodshed in the vicinity. The area features a beach with changing cabins, WC facilities, boat ramp, marina and a floating bird-watching tower along a nature trail.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 2.6 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn left onto Ounasjoen itäpuolentie road for approx. 300 m and turn left to reach the Ounaspaviljonki parking area. The lean-to is most easily accessed from the Ounaspaviljonki parking area around the year. In the summer, the lean-to can also be accessed by boat on River Ounasjoki. Public transport takes you to the Kuusamontie road junction which is about 500 m from the lean-to.
]]>The best way to get to the lookout tower is along the paths of Syväsenvaara.
Environment: A delta in the middle of the City of Rovaniemi.
Avifauna: The delta of River Ounasjoki is an excellent spot for observing migration. The large river valleys guide many migratory birds to the area. Over 150 bird species have been observed in the delta. Many southern (e.g. northern shoveler, common rosefinch, little gull, garden warbler, Eurasian woodcock) and northern (e.g. smew, long-tailed duck, greater scaup, velvet scoter, temminck's stint) bird species can be seen in the area. Hundreds of waterbirds and dozens of swans feed at the delta in the autumn. Little buntings can be spotted along the shoreline bushes especially in the autumn.
The best bird season: May–June and August–October.
Top observations: mute swan, western marsh-harrier, sanderling, glaucous gull, Caspian tern, long-eared owl, common grasshopper warbler, yellow-breasted bunting.
Source: Lapin lintutieteellinen yhdistys, http://www.lly.fi/
]]>The Louevaara Wilderness Hut is a former fire watchman’s log-built cabin, reasonably spacious and warm enough for staying overnight even in the winter. The scenic Kuusilampi lake is located about 500 metres from the hut, and you can reach via the trail starting from the hut.
The wilderness hut is equipped with a stove, table, benches and a sleeping platform that is as wide as the cabin. It also has a basic set of dishes for hikers to use. The yard features a campfire site, woodshed, outhouse, and an old metal-frame lookout tower nearby. Pets are allowed, but only if all other possible visitors agree. There are no waste bins at the cabin, so you have to take back all your garbage.
Directions: drive 24.3 km out of Rovaniemi along Kemintie to Muurola; turn right on Aavasaksantie; drive 8.8 km; turn right on the forest road; drive 2.1 km; turn left on another forest road; drive 480 m; turn right on another forest road; drive 1.3 km to the turnaround, where you can park your car. From the turnaround, continue along the road for 300 m until you reach an intersection; turn right on the path towards the wilderness hut and walk for 1.5 km. In the winter, the closest point accessible by car is a little over 4 km from the hut (Aavasaksantie road). From there, you can continue on skis or snowshoes.
]]>From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 2.6 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn right onto Kuusamontie road for approx. 6.2 km, continue onto Pullinniemenkuja road for approx. 160 m, turn right into the parking area at approx. 100 m.
]]>From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 2.6 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn right onto Kuusamontie road for approx. 29.6 km, turn right onto Tikkasenkarintie road for approx. 650 m to reach the lean-to next to the road on the shore.
]]>
The log-built wilderness hut sits in a massive pine forest on a beautiful heath. In the past, a recluse lived in the wilderness hut.
The wilderness hut is equipped with a stove, small table, a couple of chairs and a bunk that accommodates 3–4 persons to sleep. The yard features a campfire site and dry toilet. Firewood can be found against the hut wall.
From the city centre of Rovaniemi approx. 5 km along Sodankyläntie road, turn left onto Norvatie road for approx. 6.7 km, turn left onto Norvan länsitie road for approx. 25.9 km, turn left onto a forest truck road for approx. 5.7 km, turn right onto a forest truck road along the edge of Kätkävaara Hill for approx. 3.5 km, turn right and follow the trail for approx. 100 m to the wilderness hut.
]]>
Alvar Aalto designed three four-story commercial and residential buildings in a prominent location in the center of Rovaniemi for local businessman Aarne Aho. Later, Aalto also designed the private house Maison Aho for the same family.
The Aho commercial and residential buildings are all located in the same block, forming a cohesive ensemble. The ground floors of the buildings house commercial spaces, while the upper floors originally contained apartments that have since been converted into office spaces.
Observant passersby may notice interesting details in the buildings that Aalto considered important. In addition to brick, the facades incorporate granite and, in some areas, copper. Over the years, the buildings have undergone renovations, and many of the fine details have been lost during these alterations.
On the facade of Koskikatu 20, Aalto designed a large bronze sculpture called "Aurora Borealis." The artwork depicts the Northern Lights, with a leaping fish at the bottom. The sculpture was executed by sculptor Heikki Häiväoja. For safety reasons, the artwork has been removed from the wall.
]]>
Alvar Aalto designed three four-story commercial and residential buildings in a prominent location in the center of Rovaniemi for local businessman Aarne Aho. Later, Aalto also designed the private house Maison Aho for the same family.
The Aho commercial and residential buildings are all located in the same block, forming a cohesive ensemble. The ground floors of the buildings house commercial spaces, while the upper floors originally contained apartments that have since been converted into office spaces.
Observant passersby may notice interesting details in the buildings that Aalto considered important. In addition to brick, the facades incorporate granite and, in some areas, copper. Over the years, the buildings have undergone renovations, and many of the fine details have been lost during these alterations.
On the facade of Koskikatu 20, Aalto designed a large bronze sculpture called "Aurora Borealis." The artwork depicts the Northern Lights, with a leaping fish at the bottom. The sculpture was executed by sculptor Heikki Häiväoja. For safety reasons, the artwork has been removed from the wall.
]]>
Alvar Aalto designed three four-story commercial and residential buildings in a prominent location in the center of Rovaniemi for local businessman Aarne Aho. Later, Aalto also designed the private house Maison Aho for the same family.
The Aho commercial and residential buildings are all located in the same block, forming a cohesive ensemble. The ground floors of the buildings house commercial spaces, while the upper floors originally contained apartments that have since been converted into office spaces.
Observant passersby may notice interesting details in the buildings that Aalto considered important. In addition to brick, the facades incorporate granite and, in some areas, copper. Over the years, the buildings have undergone renovations, and many of the fine details have been lost during these alterations.
On the facade of Koskikatu 20, Aalto designed a large bronze sculpture called "Aurora Borealis." The artwork depicts the Northern Lights, with a leaping fish at the bottom. The sculpture was executed by sculptor Heikki Häiväoja. For safety reasons, the artwork has been removed from the wall.
]]>
The Rovaniemi Civic Centre is, alongside Seinäjoki, the only completed urban center designed by Alvar Aalto in Finland. As early as 1961, the preliminary sketches for the library building included two other structures, which ultimately formed a seamlessly interconnected complex for administration and culture. The buildings are arranged in a fan-shaped layout on a park-like square known as Kansalaistori (Citizens' Square). The center's buildings open towards the city center.
The Rovaniemi City Hall, Hallituskatu 7
1961; 1984-1988
The Rovaniemi City Hall was completed as the final part of the Rovaniemi Civic Centre. Architect Elissa Aalto led the completion of the building based on Alvar Aalto's initial designs. The most striking feature of the building complex is the council chamber with its sculptural tower elements. The lower and longer part of the building remains partially concealed behind the larger mass.
The ground floor of the tower section of the building is made of dark granite, punctuated by white porcelain rod elements. The tall and narrow windows also play a significant role in creating an esteemed appearance. The tower is accentuated by its sloping roof, with its highest point facing towards the Citizens' Square or park. The lower part of the tower facing the square is set back, which lightens the overall impression of the otherwise massive structure. Another notable detail is the recessed speaker's balcony.
]]>
The Rovaniemi Civic Centre is, alongside Seinäjoki, the only completed urban center designed by Alvar Aalto in Finland. As early as 1961, the preliminary sketches for the library building included two other structures, which ultimately formed a seamlessly interconnected complex for administration and culture. The buildings are arranged in a fan-shaped layout on a park-like square known as Kansalaistori (Citizens' Square). The center's buildings open towards the city center.
Rovaniemi Library, Jorma Eton tie 6
1961-1965
The first building to be completed in the Rovaniemi Civic Centre was the library building. It consists of a long and low wing and a fan-shaped section above it, with windows prominently rising above the facade. In front of the library, there is a colonnade that adds a grand appearance to the building.
The library's interior is filled with natural light from numerous windows, complemented by various lighting fixtures designed by Aalto. Some of the furniture and lighting fixtures are from Artek's standard collection, but several unique lighting designs were specifically created for the library. In the spacious lending hall, there are peaceful reading areas that are slightly sunken compared to the rest of the space.
]]>
The Rovaniemi Civic Centre is, alongside Seinäjoki, the only completed urban center designed by Alvar Aalto in Finland. As early as 1961, the preliminary sketches for the library building included two other structures, which ultimately formed a seamlessly interconnected complex for administration and culture. The buildings are arranged in a fan-shaped layout on a park-like square known as Kansalaistori (Citizens' Square). The center's buildings open towards the city center.
Lappia Hall, Jorma Eton tie 8 A
1961; 1968-1972, 1973-1975
One of the distinctive features of the Lappia Hall is its softly curved roof forms that resemble the shape of mountains. The façade of the building, which opens towards the spacious park, is straight along its entire length, with the ground floor recessed. Light-colored brick and porcelain rods are used in the façades, accentuated by the dark granite at the entrance.
The interior of the lobby and staircase features "Lapland marble," also known as Loue limestone, and the walls are adorned with dark blue ceramic rods, creating a luxurious atmosphere.
The first, lower part of the building was completed in 1972, followed by the main part designed for the theater in 1975. The inauguration of Lappia Hall in 1976 marked the last opening ceremony attended by Alvar Aalto himself.
Originally designed as a multi-purpose building, Lappia Hall has been home to various organizations over the decades. Lappia Hall serves as a magnificent venue for events, theater, and music.
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
]]>Source: Muistojen reitti brochure, City of Rovaniemi
The sculpture is about 120 metres long and its tallest point stands at 2.3 metres.
The premise of the sculpture is lightness and airiness, and the artist wants to overcome the heaviness of bronze as a material. Although the sculpture is large and made of a heavy material, it is light and vibrant in shape - the thin stem seems to disperse the mass to almost nothing.
The sculpture was acquired by the State Art Commission on the initiative of the Lapland provincial arts committee. The committee invited Hannele Kylänpää to design the sculpture and gave her free artistic rein.
Close your eyes and calm your breathing. Focus on your senses one by one. What do your ears hear? What does your nose smell? What does the ground beneath your feet feel like? The leader of the group asks everyone to open their eyes and say what they see in front of them. What could you eat, and what would it taste like?
2 READ PART ONE OF THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE
“The Ounasvaara and Pöyliövaara Hills are siblings. They rise up on opposite sides of the Kemijoki River, each as rocky and forested as the other. But climb to the top of one and you will see just how different these siblings are. Ounasvaara is old, stern and steady. It’s top is hidden from below, and it rises steadily higher and higher, and when, after a long trek, you finally find yourself at the summit, the view is spectacular. A rolling, uninhabited wilderness stretching as far as the eye can see. Pöyliövaara, on the other hand, is something else entirely. Those wanting to climb it have to scramble up a steep slope to reach the summit. The view from the top is ordered and friendly, houses standing in neat rows like toys on the floor.”
3 NATURE IS FULL OF DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCES. WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Take turns pointing out the differences you see around you in nature. Look ahead, to the right, to the left and behind you.
4 SHOW EACH OTHER DIFFERENT WAYS OF MOVING THROUGH YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Explore different ways of moving through your environment and try opposite approaches – slow and fast, small steps and big, gentle and strong, timid and bold, jumping, limping, sneaking – all at once or one at a time.
5 MOVING THROUGH DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS
Reflect on how different conditions shape how people around the world move through their environments. Think about the different ways people in Finland move through the environment depending on the season. Then, move together like you were in these environments – slippery ice, dense jungle or forest, searing desert, deep bog, a field of boulders, a manicured lawn, waist-deep water and anything else you can think of. Imagine different situations like jumping in a puddle, carrying a heavy boulder from one place to another, getting swarmed by mosquitoes.
6 TAKE ON THE ROLE OF A CHARACTER AND MOVING THROUGH THE WORLD OF THE FAIRYTALE
Each person comes up with a fairytale character or creature and moves like they would through the world of the fairytale. It could be an elf, a goblin, a robot, a dragon, a monster, a Moomin, a Hattifattener, a gnome, a witch, a fairy or anything else. Imagine the fairytale places they would find themselves in and how they would move through them. Think about what the fairytale world is like. Maybe, in the fairytale, you feel light as a feather and float lightly along on the wind. Maybe it’s hard to stay upright, and your fairytale character always has to balance themselves. You might move through the fairytale world by bouncing, creeping, dashing, pulling your feet out of the mud as it tries to swallow each step, skipping across floating stones, whisking yourself forward with a magic wand, skipping along like you’re on the moon. The ground underfoot could be slimy or sticky, it could tickle your feet or squelch wetly with every step. The earth could tremor constantly underfoot, or it could do anything you can imagine.
7 WHO OR WHAT COULD BE LIVING IN THE SCENE OPENING UP IN FRONT OF YOU
Each person names 1–3 animals that could be living in the environment you see in front of you. Why? Tell each other about situations or events the animal has experienced. Then do the same thing again but imagine what kind of imaginary creature or fairytale character could live there. Why do they live there? What have they felt and experienced? What moments of joy have they had in this environment?
8 FINALLY
Everyone use 1–4 words to describe the environment in front of you. For example: “beautiful”, “colourful”, “bright” or “full of rocks”.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
“In the summer and winter, Ounasvaara and Pöyliövaara are each as green and beautiful as the other, but in the spring, when the light of the sun brings the leaves back to life, there’s no missing just how different their trees are. Ounasvaara, covered in conifers, is as evenly green as ever, but Pöyliövaara is dotted with spots of a brighter shade – broad-leaved trees waking up after the winter. In the summer, the conifers and broad-leaved trees take on similar colours and blend together once again, but in the autumn, when the leaves turn red and yellow, Pöyliövaara glows warmly in its bright colours, while Ounasvaara remains as green as ever.
2 LOOK AT THE LANDSCAPE OPENING UP IN FRONT OF YOU
Look closely at the view in front of you. What colours do you see? Together, think about how the different seasons change this landscape. What kinds of colours does each season bring with it? What does nature mean to humans? What can you do in nature?
3 EXPLORE THE PINES, SPRUCES AND BIRCH TREES
Together, find a pine tree and explore it. Then, find a spruce and explore it. Then, find a birch and explore it. When you explore the trees, use all your senses.
4 MIME THE SEASONS
Think of 2–3 situations in each season and act out those situations. AUTUMN: For example, the birch tree is shedding its leaves, so you follow the leaves with your eyes as they fall or you imagine yourself to be a leaf floating down to the ground. Collect blueberries from your surroundings and eat them. WINTER: For example, imagine yourself to be birch trees – cold, trying to shake snow from your branches. Build an imaginary snowman or have a snowball fight. Go skiing. Imagine the Northern Lights in the sky, become the Northern Lights dancing and glowing softly high above. SPRING: For example, imagine yourself to be snowmen melting slowly in the sun. Be birch trees waking up from your winter slumber, sprouting new leaves on your branches, smelling the scents of spring, listening to the babble of the brook, seeing the bears awaken from their hibernation. SUMMER: For example, imagine the feeling of your branches swaying in the cool summer breeze. The heat is sweltering, the sun is bright. What does the birch see in the summer? As people seize the season, the birch sees children swimming in the lake, joggers trotting past, families picnicking. If you prefer, instead of a birches or humans, you could imagine yourself to be animals or fairytale characters.
5 EXPLORE THE ENVIRONMENT
Search your surroundings for 1–3 natural materials you find interesting – rocks, branches, moss, pinecones. Show each other what you’ve found and tell a short, seasonal story about your chosen materials. Alternatively, you could come up with a story together, maybe about a rock. You could also choose the materials together. Take, for example, a pinecone. Take turns examining it, smelling it, tasting it, feeling its surface and listening to the noises it makes. Everyone come up with a short story about the pinecone and take turns telling them.
6 WHY THIS DETAIL?
Explore and move around your surroundings. Find details that you find intriguing. What detail in the nature surrounding you do you find beautiful, ugly, scary, dangerous, unpleasant, appealing, tasty, artistic, affectionate or lovely? Choose 1–2 details in nature and explain to each other why you find them ugly or beautiful or whatever it is you feel about them. You could also choose 1–2 things and explain to each other what you can do with them.
7 TELL A FICTIONAL STORY ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE
Each person can choose to tell a short, fictional story related to the environment or landscape in front of you. Alternatively, you could split up into pairs.
8 IMMERSE YOURSELVES IN THE FICTION
Together, come up with an activity from the perspective of plants, trees or animals and then do it as a group. You could play the part of the wind as it quickens into a storm, the leaves of the trees falling to the ground, the sun shining warmly and melting the snow, a babbling brook, a piece of ice floating along the surface of the water, the rain, the frost or a lonely snowflake.
9 CREATE THE SOUNDSCAPES OF THE SEASONS
Do this activity together. Think about what kinds of sounds you hear in the autumn, winter, spring and summer. Mimic the sounds of the seasons with your mouth and with natural materials in your immediate environment, such as rocks and branches. Then, create the soundscapes of autumn, winter, spring and summer.
10 YOUR FAVOURITE SPOT IN YOUR SURROUNDINGS
Find a favourite spot for yourself in your surroundings. Once everyone has found a favourite spot, stay there. Next, take turns introducing each other to your new favourite spots. Tell each other why you chose the spot you did, what the good and bad things about it are and what you can do there.
11 FINALLY
Everyone tell each other what your favourite season is and why. Once everyone has taken their turn, think together about what the favourite season of the Ounasvaara Birch is and why.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
Which ones are conifers and which are broad-leaved trees? How do they differ from each other? What kinds of characteristics do different tree species have?
2 THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH
Find a birch tree and examine it with all your senses. Touch it, smell it, look at it closely, consider what it tastes like and what sounds it has heard over the years it has spent rooted to this spot. Justify why this one birch tree is a unique and valuable individual.
3 PHOTOGRAPH THE BIRCH
Using the thumb and forefinger of both hands, pretend you’re holding a camera. Place your imaginary camera over the birch. Look through the viewfinder between your fingers and press them together to snap a photo, then pull them apart again. You can snap photos from close up, far away, the left or the right, below or above. Everyone take 3–4 pictures of the birch. After you are done, everyone choose one of the photos you took and explain to each other why this photo in particular is special and important.
4 THE STORY OF THE BIRCH
Together or in pairs, tell the story of the birch. How did it end up here, what has happened to it in the past, what difficulties and challenges has it faced growing to its current size and what is it feeling right now? What has it seen over the course of its life? What have been the highlights and why? What would the birch like to do and become when it grows up? What kinds of dreams does the birch have? Share your thoughts with each other.
5 THINK ABOUT THE THREATS THAT AFFECT THE BIRCH AND THE LONELINESS IT FEELS FROM ITS OWN PERSPECTIVE
What kinds of threats and dangers could the birch encounter during its lifetime? Talk about loneliness. Create an improvised performance or still frame of the threats affecting the birch. Then, talk more about loneliness. One person in the group should take on the role of the birch and tell the others what it feels like to be alone and how it affects the life of the birch. You can take turns being the birch and talking about your feelings in front of the group.
6 READ PART THREE OF THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE
“But, among the many conifers of Ounasvaara Hill, grew one small birch. No one knew what sudden gust of wind had carried the seed there, but there it grew, orphaned and alone among the conifers.”
7 A BIRCH SEED ON THE WIND
Everyone curl up into a birch seed. Imagine the wind picking up the seed and carrying it far until finally dropping it on the ground. This can occur several times as the wind calms, only for another gust to come along.
8 THE STAGES OF A BIRCH TREE’S GROWTH
Seed – roots – trunk – branches – leaves. Repeat this multiple times and grow into different birch trees. Start by curling up into a seed on the ground. Then, slowly rise upwards, feeling the ground with your roots (you can stomp your feet to feel the soil beneath your soles), then straighten up, making a tree trunk with your body. Swing your arms out and spread your fingers to grow branches, taking on the shape of the unique birch you want to grow into. The small branches, represented by your fingers, can twist into different shapes. The leaves appear with a wave of your fingers and reach their full size as your fingers fall still.
9 THE EMOTIONS OF A BIRCH
Explore different emotions through the birch. Start by exploring the tree’s longing. Think of a reason for why the birch is feeling what it’s feeling. The birch is afraid or angry, it hates, it enjoys, it pampers a puppy, it feels joy. Together, come up with different feelings or sensations for the birch, such as feeling cold, feeling hot or sweating.
10 THE DREAMS OF THE BIRCH
Together, think about what the birch tree’s dreams and aspirations are and what it wants from its future. This part can also take the form of a one-word story, in which one person in the group starts with the first word of the story, the next person says another word, then the next person says another and this continues until the group has told the story of the birch tree’s dreams and aspirations. The leader of the group decides when the story is complete. Alternatively, the leader can set a time limit, such as one minute, after which the story ends. The story doesn’t need to be a one-word story; each person can also be allowed to say two, three or four words at a time.
11 IMAGINATION BIRCH
Start by choosing a spot and becoming a birch (do the stages of growing into a tree: seed – roots – trunk – branches – leaves). You are rooted to the spot, but the birches want to wander. The birches try to move, but their roots hold them still. They struggle but cannot unroot themselves. Each birch thinks about how wonderful it would be if they could wander around the landscape. They try to move again. After struggling hard, their roots come out of the ground and they’re free. Now, each birch learns to move in its own unique way. Everyone tries different ways of moving like a birch would and finds a solution of their own. Then, everyone shows each other how their individual birch moves. The others imitate. Then it’s the next birch tree’s turn to show how they move, and everyone else imitates. Keep going until each birch has shown off how they move. Then work together to figure out what the birch wants to do now that anything is possible. Then do it. For example, maybe the birch wants to try jumping on a trampoline, swimming, playing football or eating a sweet bun.
12 FINALLY
Grow into trees side by side, each birch growing together into one tree. Alternatively, you could split into pairs and start by growing into separate birches before coming together as one friendship birch. You could also stay as one group and come together into one big friendship birch.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
“‘You’re useless,’ said the little pine, still so short it barely poked out from between the rocks. ‘You’re no use to anybody. Look at my needles. If anyone gets close, I’ll put their eye out.’
The little pine was so self-assured because no danger had ever approached it.
‘I think it’s completely inappropriate for a birch to grow here,’ said the old spruce, thin, spindly, prickly and prudish. Not once had a cone decorated her branches, nor a bird chosen her as its perch. ‘I’ll say it again: This is no place for a young birch. Why, she’s the image of vanity! Wasn’t she decorating herself in red and yellow in the autumn and twisting and twirling enough to make you feel sick? And when the first gust of wind came by, she dropped all her leaves, the pretence fell away, and now all that’s left is a naked birch of a girl. You feel ashamed just to see it.’
And the spruce covered her face and turned away.”
2 WHAT DOES BULLYING FEEL LIKE AND WHAT DOES BULLYING MEAN?
Talk about bullying. Have you ever been bullied? What should you do if you see someone being bullied? What does it feel like to be bullied, how does bullying affect the person being bullied, what causes bullying? What can we do to prevent it?
3 TALK TO THE BULLIED BIRCH TREE
As a group, gather around the small bullied birch. The leader of the group or someone else plays the role of the birch that has been bullied. The other members of the group ask questions, such as what situations the bullying has been taking place in, what form it takes and what can be done to address it. The person playing the birch or one or more of the people asking questions can relate a true or imagined bullying situation, and then the group can work together to decide how to resolve it. You can repeat this by swapping who plays the birch.
4 TALK TO THE PINE OR SPRUCE BULLYING THE BIRCH
As a group, gather around the pine or spruce that is responsible for the bullying. One person plays the role of the bullying pine or spruce. Then, the group discusses the bullying from the perspective of the bully. You can repeat this by swapping who plays the bully.
5 THE BULLIED BIRCH TALKS TO THE BULLYING PINE OR SPRUCE
Split up into pairs, with one person playing the birch and the other person playing the bullying pine or spruce. What questions do the birch and the bully ask each other when they come face to face? What do they talk about? They may not look and act the same, and they may disagree on many things, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. The birch and the bully eventually become friends by talking to each other. In your pairs, you can discuss what friendship means to the birch, the pine and the spruce. The same pair can repeat the discussion by swapping roles. Larger groups can also rotate people around to form new pairs and repeat the discussion.
6 THE DANCE OF THE BIRCH AND THE PINES OR SPRUCES
Split the group into two, with one half playing the birch and the other half playing the pines or spruces. Everyone find a spot and grow into either a birch or a pine or spruce. Seed – roots – trunk – branches – leaves/needles. Next, each tree plays a song in their head and begins to move to the rhythm without leaving their spot. The trees get carried away by the music and begin dancing around, moving freely. The birches dance with other birches and the pines or spruces dance amongst each other. The birches and the pines or spruces drift together and dance with each other for a moment. They notice each other and keep dancing together. The dance ends in a group hug.
7 THE BIRCH HUG AND THE QUIRKS, PERSONALITY AND STRENGTHS OF THE BIRCH
Find a birch you want to befriend. Go to the birch and examine it closely. You can also compliment it. Hug the birch and tell it how much you value its friendship. Everyone think of 1–3 things about the birch that make you happy or proud. You can also think of the birch’s quirks, personality or strengths, such as a wonderful singing voice. Then, each person introduces their birch to the other members of the group and tells them what is unique about it.
8 EXPLORING AND ACCEPTING DIVERSITY IN YOUR SURROUNDINGS
Look for 2–3 different natural materials in your surroundings. For example, everyone finds a rock and then comes together to compare them, examine them and explore how they differ from each other. Once you’ve done that, think of positive aspects of diversity and what makes diversity a good thing.
9 WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT AND WHAT MAKES US THE SAME
Take a moment to reflect on how the differences you just discussed apply to your own group in real life.
10 FINALLY
Finally, everyone think of a single sentence that praises the power of diversity and why diversity in nature, animals and humans is so important. Then, say that sentence out loud to your surroundings. If you want, you can choose to focus entirely on diversity in nature, animals or humans when you say your sentence. For example, you could say that the nature surrounding you gives you joy and strength thanks to the diversity of trees and rocks within it, that diversity among people is the spice of life or that different animals are interesting. When thinking about your sentence, you can use a positive feeling or emotion that diversity gives you.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
“That night was the first moonlit night of the winter and the wedding of the smallest elf boy and the smallest elf girl. The bride was the youngest and smallest of 365 siblings. That was why her wedding was so late. Her siblings had celebrated theirs in the summer, when the cherry trees and the lilies bloomed.
That night, the little groom snuck away from home and, in tears, he wondered around the forest. The wedding was only an hour away, and he had no flowers to give his bride. The little elf girl would probably cry until her bright eyes turned red. That’s when the little elf boy noticed a small tree covered in shimmering white flowers. In a hurry, he wiped the tears from his eyes. He could hardly believe it.
The little elf boy ran to the tree. It was the same little birch that had cried her branches sodden. The frost had turned her tears white, and the moonlight made them glint. The little elf could hardly tell it was the same tree.
‘Prettier flowers my bride couldn’t wish for,’ the little elf thought, picking up as many branches as he could carry. How happy it made the little elf bride, and everyone said she was the prettiest little bride there ever had been.
The lonely birch of Ounasvaara grew, and she watched her siblings on Pöyliövaara Hill.
‘I no longer regret that it was here the wind carried me,’ she said. ‘After all, I saw how happy that little elf bride was. Joy, there’s no greater thing in the world.’”
2 WEDDINGS, WHAT THEY MEAN, WHAT THEY CONTAIN AND WHAT THEIR PURPOSE IS
Discuss these questions together. Have you been to a wedding? What did you see there, what did you hear, what did you do? What makes a good wedding? What emotions do weddings contain? Think about love, what it consists of and what it means to the couples getting married (such as valuing others).
3 MAKE A WEDDING GIF OUT OF NATURAL MATERIALS
Work together to make a wedding gift out of natural materials you find around you for the couple getting married. Present the gift to the couple. You can also do this in smaller groups, in pairs or individually. Once you are done, present your gifts to the couple.
4 COMPOSE A WEDDING SONG OR POEM AND PRESENT IT
Together or in pairs, compose a wedding song or poem for the couple getting married and perform it for the rest of the group. You can perform the song or poem in the character of an elf or a birch or as yourself.
5 THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH SINGS OF JOY AND LOVE
Song title: Joy, No Greater Thing in the World. Work together to come up with lyrics for the song and sing it together in the character of the birch to the other trees of Ounasvaara.
6 THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH DANCES WITH JOY
Everyone takes turns to play the birch or an elf and dances a short dance about the joy of the birch while everyone else encourages and celebrates with her. Keep going until everyone has performed their own dance. You can also do this in pairs, with each pair performing the Ounasvaara birch’s dance of joy together to the rest of the group. Each pair should take a turn performing the dance. Alternatively, you could perform a dance expressing the joy of the bride and groom. You can also perform the dance together as a group. You could even perform the Ounasvaara birch’s branch dance by using sticks and twigs you find on the ground.
7 READ THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE FROM START TO FINISH
With your eyes closed, listen to one person reading the fairytale from start to finish. When the story is over, open your eyes.
8 FINALLY
Take the hand of the person to your left and the person to your right and form a circle. Together, repeat the words “I am good!” twice. Then, repeat the words “We are good!” twice.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
Together, think about what it means to feel longing. Give examples from your own life of when and how you’ve experienced longing. How does longing affect you? How do you deal with longing?
2 READ PART FIVE OF THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE
“The winter gale agreed.
‘Out of my way!’ it yelled as it beat the bare arms of the little birch tree.
‘The north is no place for you to bare your arms just because of some new fashion trend,’ said the pine, covered in its thick coat of needles.
The little birch tree heard all of it but didn’t answer. She craned her neck and, between the branches of the conifers, she saw Pöyliövaara Hill where her siblings stood.
‘I wish I could go there,’ she thought to herself.
A spruce sapling heard her sigh. ‘You’ll never get there,’ it said. ‘Us spruces, we can go all the way down to the town and into people’s homes at Christmas, but no one’s going to notice you up here.’
The little birch tree held out her arms and cried bitter tears. The tears streamed down her branches. They came faster and faster, and soon the little birch was soaked and cold.
That night was the first moonlit night of the winter and the wedding of the smallest elf boy and the smallest elf girl. The bride was the youngest and smallest of 365 siblings. That was why her wedding was so late. Her siblings had celebrated theirs in the summer, when the cherry trees and the lilies bloomed.”
3 DRAW YOUR OUTLINE ON THE GROUND OR USE A NEARBY BIRCH TREE
If you cannot draw a person’s outline or a birch tree on the ground, one of you can play the person or birch. You could also gather around a nearby birch tree. Together, think about where different emotions are felt in a person’s body or a birch tree (roots/trunk/branches/leaves), say it out loud and point to the place on the outline or the tree. Think about what colour that emotion is. Take, for example, the emotion of love. You might feel love in your chest, your heart, maybe even your hands. In a birch tree, love could be felt near the top of the trunk, in the roots or in the branches. Love might take the colour red. Start with the emotion of longing and where it’s felt, then take other negative emotions, such as annoyance, hate, grief and anger, and finally move on to positive emotions, such as love and joy.
4 THE LONGING OF THE BIRCH TREE AND EMOTIONS
Everyone start by doing the stages of the birch tree’s growth (seed – roots – trunk – branches – leaves). Next, everyone think about the emotion of longing and what the birch tree longs for, then express the birch tree’s longing through yourself. Then, think about another emotion, such as fear, and consider what the birch tree is afraid of and express that feeling. Then move on to the next emotion, such as joy. Think about what makes your birch tree feel joy and express that feeling. Each of you should think about the birch tree’s emotions independently at the same time. You can either have the leader of the group choose the emotions, or you can choose them together. Then, everyone takes a moment to think about why the birch is feeling this emotion. The leader of the group decides when everyone has had enough time, and then everyone expresses the emotions of their birch tree together. You can repeat this as many times as you want. Alternatively, everyone can present the emotions of the birch as a group or those who want to do so can present them to the rest of the group. After expressing your birch tree’s emotions, you can also optionally explain why it felt the way it did. When moving on to a new emotion, everyone should straighten up to a fully grown birch. You do not need to repeat the growing stages. Simply think about why your birch tree feels that particular emotion and then express it in the character of the tree.
5 THE SOUNDS OF THE BIRCH TREE’S LONGING AND JOY
Together, make sounds that represent the birch tree’s longing by using your mouth and natural materials you find around you. Then, make sounds that represent the birch tree’s joy. Think about how the sounds that represent longing differ from the sounds that represent joy.
6 THE SAD BIRCH, HOW TO DEAL WITH GRIEF AND WHAT OTHERS CAN DO TO HELP
One person plays the part of the sad birch. Everyone else plays the part of pine trees who are verbally and physically comforting the birch. The pine trees can tell an imaginary story about their own experiences to comfort the birch. At the end, the pines are successful, and the birch is no longer sad.
7 I WANT TO BE HEARD
Either split up into pairs (one whisperer and one listener) or have one person play the whisperer and everyone else be the listeners. The whisperer whispers something positive about themselves, either a skill or a characteristic, such as “I can ride a bike” or “I am an honest person”. Repeat the phrase, starting off by whispering it as softly as you can and gradually saying it louder and louder until the listener hears what you are saying. Once the listener hears the phrase, they repeat it back. If the listener does not hear the phrase or repeats it back incorrectly, the whisperer repeats it again. Keep going until the listener repeats the phrase back word for word.
The whisperer should give the listener a moment to repeat the phrase back before whispering it again a little louder. Once the listener hears the whisper clearly and repeats the phrase back word for word, the whisperer and listener swap roles. Repeat this until both people have said 2–4 positive things about themselves.
8 ACCEPTING AND SEEING OTHERS BY MIRRORING THEM
Split up into pairs, with one person playing the role of the mirror by mimicking what the other person does. Start with slow, easy movements, such as raising your hand and laying it on top of your stomach. The mirror tries to repeat whatever the other person does as closely as possible. Once the mirror can easily reflect the other person’s movements, you can increase the difficulty by making quicker and more complicated movements. It is important to maintain a connection with the mirror, so don’t raise the difficulty too quickly. Next, swap roles: The person being mirrored becomes the mirror and vice versa. If you want, you can also make noises that the mirror has to try and repeat.
9 HUG. HOW DOES IT FEEL?
Split up into pairs. Each pair finds a birch that looks weak, small or unwell. First, each person hugs the birch separately, then both hug it at the same time. What do you think this feels like for the birch? Next, the pairs hug each other. Finally, everyone in the group comes together for a group hug.
10 PLAY FOLLOW THE LEADER
Take turns playing the leader. As the leader, everyone else follows your lead. Follow the leader is all about succeeding together, the joy of play and having fun. For example, you can pretend you’re carrying a heavy boulder from one place to another. When you succeed, congratulate each other on the feat you’ve just accomplished. Pat yourself on the knees, stomach, legs or head. Everyone follows the leader’s lead and everyone has fun. The leader can joke around, make funny faces and movements, and everyone else tries to copy them. You can include speaking, making noises, dancing, movements and anything fun. Each player ends their turn as the leader by hugging a birch or a pine, and everyone else follows along.
11 READ THE END OF PART FIVE OF THE OUNASVAARA BIRCH FAIRYTALE AGAIN
That night was the first moonlit night of the winter and the wedding of the smallest elf boy and the smallest elf girl. The bride was the youngest and smallest of 365 siblings. That was why her wedding was so late. Her siblings had celebrated theirs in the summer, when the cherry trees and the lilies bloomed.
12 FINALLY
Discuss how the Ounasvaara Birch fairytale might end. Make guesses together.
Fairytale activity suggestions by Mika Harjumaa.
At the end of the accessible trail, there is a sturdy bird-watching tower with several observation levels. The tower has a great view over the entire Harjulampi area, an excellent place for bird watching all summer.
Directions: Drive 1.1 km along Yliopistonkatu from the Rovaniemi church toward Rantavitikka. The tower stands on the right side of the intersection of Yliopistonkatu and Korvanranta, and there are signs that lead to the tower from the intersection. If necessary, you can park in the yard of the nearby Rantavitikka school.
It starts from the parking area, crosses Pellontie and continues 320 m along Karhulammentie until it turns right and follows a power line across Nuoraoja. Soon after Nuoraoja, the trail turns left onto a path through a dry, coniferous forest up onto the hill. It ends on the rocky peak of Karhunulkki, where hikers get to enjoy incredible views. The length one way is 3.8 km. It is open in the snow-free season, and it is suitable for day-trips.
The parking area features a table, benches, an information board, and jungle gyms for children. Close to the start, at Nuoraoja, there is a resting spot.
Directions: Drive around 20.7 km out of Rovaniemi along Kittiläntie to Sinettä; turn left on Pellontie; drive around 6.9 km; turn left into the parking area. The Lehtojärvi Traditional Trail also starts at the parking area.
Ajo-ohjeet; Rovaniemen keskustasta Norvajärven suuntaan 11 kilometriä. Käänny Norvan länsitielle, jatka 14 kilometriä. Pysäköintialue on vasemmalla puolella tietä. Risteyksessä on puinen opastekyltti ”Mottimetsä”
Pysäköintialue on Norvan länsitien ja Lamminrovantien risteyksessä. Tilaa on hyvin, ja kulku Joutolammelle säilyy esteettömänä.
Helpoin reitti kiertää Kierivaaran ja Ruununrovan, suositeltava kiertosuunta on Kierivaarantien kautta, eli pysäköintialueelta vasemmalle. Alueella on kattava metsäautotieverkosto, joten näistä on helppo suunnitella itselle sopiva kokonaisuus. Mikäli kaipaa enemmän haastetta, voi suunnata esimerkiksi kartassa osoitetulle polulle. Kannattaa huomioida, että polku kulkee alussa osittain kosteammassa maastossa, ja siellä on myös ojien ylityksiä. Polku ylittää metsäautotien ja tästä voi jatkaa valitsemaansa suuntaan. Mikäli haluaa pidemmän polkureitin, kannattaa mennä Toramokivalon suuntaan. Pitkälamminlaen polkua ei löydy kaikista karttaohjelmista, mutta polku on maastossa hyvin selkeä. Polku kulkee vaaran rinteillä, ja haastetta tuovat korkeuserot. Syksyllä reitille suuntaavan kannattaa huomioida porojen rykimäaika, sillä Toramokivalon pohjoisosa on porojen laidunaluetta.
”Paliskuntain yhdistys muistuttaa, että rykimäaikaan eli porojen kiima-aikaan on syytä pysyä poissa hirvaiden tieltä ja erityisesti hirvaan ja naarasporojen välistä. Poroja havaitessa on viisainta kiertää ne rauhallisesti mahdollisimman kaukaa.”
Maasto on pääasiassa helppokulkuista kuivahkoa kangasmetsää, ja alueella on paljon metsäautotietä. Tämän ansiosta osa reiteistä soveltuu vasta-alkajille ja esimerkiksi perheen kanssa retkeilyyn, pienimmätkin saa kuljetettua mukana vaikka pyöräperäkärryssä.
Kierivaara – Lamminrova reitin pituus on n. 10 kilometriä. Reitti on vaativuusluokaltaan helppo. Toramokivalon reitille tulee mittaa n. 20 kilometriä. Reitti on vaativuusluokaltaan keskivaativa. Maastossa ei ole reittimerkintöjä.
Mottimetsä on Tiedekeskus Pilkkeen ulko-oppimisalue, ja se on Metsähallituksen hallinnoima monikäyttömetsä. Alueella voi olla Pilkkeen järjestämää toimintaa, kuten leirikouluja, tai koululaisille suunnattuja, ohjattuja tapahtumia, tai vastaavasti alueella toimivan matkailuyrityksen omaa toimintaa. Alueella liikkujan on hyvä ottaa huomioon se, että alueella ei ole palveluita, kuten roskahuoltoa, vaan täällä pätee roskattoman retkeilyn periaatteet. Myöskään puuhuoltoa ei tulipaikkojen yhteydessä ole. Tästä linkistä pääset tutustumaan Mottimetsään; https://www.tiedekeskus-pilke.fi/fi/tule-oppimaan/mottimetsaan/
Mitä on roskaton retkeily? Roskattoman retkeilyn periaate on yksinkertainen: retkeilijästä ei jää jälkeäkään luontoon. Maatuvat jätteet laitetaan käymälään tai kompostoriin ja puhdas paperi ja pahvi nuotioon. Kaikki muu jäte kannetaan omassa repussa luonnosta pois. Lue lisää roskattomasta retkeilystä http://www.luontoon.fi/roskatonretkeily
]]>You can reach the start of the trail by car via the Kemin itäpuolentie road. There you will find the Kotikairantie turnaround. You can also park your car by the edge of the turnaround. A solid-surface road stretches 140 m to the lean-to. The difference in altitude between the road and lean-to is about 5 m, and the gradient is only about 5 degrees. This section is classified as accessible. You can admire the robust pine forests of Pöyliövaara along the trail.
There is a large, boarded lean-to at the end of the trail by Lähdelampi, or Lähde Pond, featuring a campfire site and benches. There is a woodshed. Pathways for wheelchairs have been built on the shore of the little lake.
Directions: drive 3.9 km out of the city centre of Rovaniemi along the Kajaanintie road, which turns into Ranuantie; turn right on Kemijoen itäpuolentie; drive 500 m; turn left on Kotikairantie; drive 400 m to the starting point of the Pöyliövaara accessible trail. You can also park your car in the nearby Virikkolammenreitti parking area. The trail is open when free of snow from May to October. There are several daily bus connections to the parking area.
]]>The Plant and Fungus Trail is a small-scale nature trail on Kielosaari, or Kielo Island, one of the Könkäänsaaret Islands. The trail introduces the lush vegetation and variety of fungi on the islands. Duckboards cover the entire trail. The length of the circular trail is about 370 m. The difficulty level is easy. Besides hiking, the trail is also suited for snowshoeing in the winter.
The conveniences of the Plant and Fungus Trail include the well-equipped rest stops of Könkäänsaari and Karhukumpu. There are benches, a lean-to, a campfire site, a woodshed and accessible outhouse at Könkäänsaari. There is a lean-to, campfire site, woodshed and outhouse at Karhukumpu. The Vaattunkiköngäs parking area is equipped with an outhouse.
Directions: drive 22.1 km out of Rovaniemi along Sodankyläntie; turn right on Vaattunkikönkääntie; drive 2.1 km to the parking area at the end of the road. Access the trail from the parking area by taking the Könkäiden Trail via Könkäänsaari. After 1 km, the starting point is on the left. The Arctic Circle Hiking Area is also accessible by bus along Sodankyläntie. The distance from Sodankyläntie to the Vaattunkiköngäs parking area is around 2 km along Vaattunkikönkääntie.
]]>The trail starts at the north-western edge of the Santa Claus Village. Along the trail, there are string bogs, coniferous bogs, and dry forests. First, you must descend to the tunnel running under the highway, where the trail starts with a duckboarded string bog stretch. The next stretch is through pine and spruce bogs, after which the gravel path crosses dry forests. Some stretches have duckboards. Information boards introduce the local nature. The path ends at a grand gate and continues into the hilly area of the Santa Claus Forest. It is a fenced forest area with thousands of planted spruce trees, where every tree features the planter’s name, date of birth, and date of planting. They are in rows with a groomed lawn between them. The 1.5 km, one-way path is open during the snow-free season.
Along the trail, there are four resting benches and a roofed resting spot on top of a grassy hill in the middle of the Santa Claus Forest. At the start of the trail in Santa Claus Village, there are diverse services and conveniences, and two service stations are also nearby.
Directions: drive 8.4 km out of the city centre along Sodankyläntie to the Arctic Circle and Santa Claus Village; turn right on Pukinpolku; drive 160m; turn right on Joulumaantie; drive 70 m; then turn right into the parking area. The start of the trail is 150 m from the parking area.
]]>The Kivalonaapa Meadow Culture Trail presents traditional haymaking in peatland meadows. This meadow culture can be explored on the nature trail that is located in the midpoint of the Könkäiden Trail. You can also access the pier of the nearby Vaattunkilampi lean-to by boat along Raudanjoki. The circular trail that tours the Kivalonaapa Bog features the Meadow Cabin, a haystack and a hay barn. Peatland meadows are managed by mowing them annually. The trail features information boards presenting the meadow culture and Kivalonaapa, or the Kivalo Bog.
Besides hiking, the trail is suitable for cross-country skiing in the winter (no maintained ski trails). The round trip of the circular trail and the connecting trail is 1.5 km. The meadow culture trail is classified as easy. The connecting stretch along the Könkäiden Trail is medium.
Depending on your trail selection, resting places are available along the Könkäiden Trail and in the beginning of the meadow culture trail at Vaattunkilampi where there is a lean-to, campfire site, woodshed and outhouse. The Meadow Cabin is at the end of the meadow culture trail, a day-trip cabin equipped with a fireplace. The cabin’s yard features a campfire site, woodshed and outhouse.
Directions: drive 25.6 km out of Rovaniemi along Sodankyläntie to Vikajärvi; turn right into the Vikaköngäs parking area (200 m); walk 5 km along the Könkäiden Trail across the suspension bridge via Könkäänvaara to the Kivalonaapa meadow culture trail. Alternately, you can enter the meadow culture trail via the trails that start at the Vaattunkiköngäs parking area. The Arctic Circle Hiking Area is also accessible by bus along Sodankyläntie. The distance from Sodankyläntie to the Vaattunkiköngäs parking area is 2.1 km along Vaattunkikönkääntie. The Vikaköngäs parking area is in the vicinity of Sodankyläntie.
]]>
The Puistolampi trail was made accessible by gravelling it in in the summer of 2017. Linear trails head south and west from the Puistolampi parking area. The trail is in use when the ground is free from snow. The length one way is 340 m. In the beginning, the view over Puistolampi is fantastic, and the western branch climbs over a beautiful flowered hill.
The Puistolampi beach is an excellent swimming place. Next to the lake, there is a playground, benches, and changing cubicles. There are two benches on a hill halfway through the western branch. There are several spacious parking areas. Santa Claus Village is around 2 km from the area, with diverse services and conveniences, and there are also two service stations next to the village.
Directions: drive 6.9 km out of Rovaniemi along Sodankyläntie until you reach the intersection of Lentokentäntie (Airport road); turn right on Myllymäentie; drive 1.1 km; turn left on Pukinpolku; drive 750 m; turn right into the parking area. The accessible trail starts at the edge of the parking area.
It starts from the parking area as a forest path that joins a wider, gravel-based circular trail. The one-way length of the forest path is 120 m, and the circular trail is 730 m. It is open in the snow-free season, and it is suitable for day-trips.
There are no conveniences on the trail. The nearest is the Porokari Lean-to, 2.8 km from the Ounas River. It is equipped with a campfire site, woodshed, outhouse, and boat ramp.
Directions: Drive 2.6 km out of the Rovaniemi city centre along Sodankyläntie; turn left on Ounasjoen itäpuolenti; drive 56.4 km, where the road turns into Kittiläntie; continue 21.8 km; turn left into the parking area. There is an information board by the parking area, and the trail is marked with posts.
The Könkäiden Trail is well-equipped, and it connects two of the most impressive rapids of Raudanjoki – Vikaköngäs and Vaattunkiköngäs. When you start at Vikaköngäs, the trail passes on top of Vaattunkivaara, or Vaattunki Hill, then follows the southern riverside of Raudanjoki and leads you through the exotic Vianaapa Bog to the gorgeous Könkäänsaaret Islands with especially diverse and lush nature.
The trail is mostly duckboarded, so hiking is easy. The most demanding section is the climb to the Vaattunkivaara. The difference in altitude totals 80 m, so you do need to be somewhat physically fit to make it to the top. In addition, the trail is rocky in places on the hill and can be slippery when it rains.
Besides hiking, the trail is suitable for cross-country skiing (no maintained ski trails) and snowshoeing in the winter. Beautiful sights along the trail include: rapids, Vaattunkivaara, the Vaattunkilampi pond, Vianaapa bog, and the Könkäänsaaret islands. The one-way length of the linear main trail is 10.7 km, and the round trip of the path from the main trail to the Ukkoharri lean-to is 390 m. The difficulty level is medium.
There are several resting places along the Könkäiden Trail: Vaattunkivaara features the Kaltio lean-to, a campfire site, an outhouse, and a spring. At the end of the Kivalonaapa Meadow Culture trail, you will find a day-trip cabin, a campfire site, a woodshed and outhouse. There are also lean-tos, campfire sites, woodsheds and outhouses on the shore of the Vaattunkilampi, in Karhukumpu, and on the Könkäänsaaret Island.
Directions: drive 25.6 km out of Rovaniemi along Sodankyläntie to Vikajärvi; turn right into the Vikaköngäs parking area (200 m); cross the suspension bridge, following the Könkäiden Trail signposts. The Arctic Circle Hiking Area is also accessible by bus along Sodankyläntie. The Vaattunkiköngäs parking area is about 2.1 km from Sodankyläntie along Vaattunkikönkääntie. The Vikaköngäs parking area is close to Sodankyläntie.
]]>
The path has a good surface on dry terrain and the area's open marshes are crossed along long trees. The route is marked with orange-tipped pole. Along the streams, there are raven spruces and morass. Both old and young mixed forest grow on dry fabrics. The area is a popular berry area. The partial route is classified as easy. Mellavaara has a lean-to, a campfire site and woodshed.
2. Mellavaara lean-to – Sinetänpää lean-to
The path is good on dry land and the open marshes are crossed along long trees. The route is marked with orange-tipped poles. The forests are a mixed forest and before Pissinperä the path goes through a raven spot. The part of the ski trail that is maintained in winter ends at Sinetänpää's lean-to. In Mellavaara, the route crosses the forest road and the Rovaniemi – Pello snowmobile route. The partial route is classified as easy.
3. Sinetänpää lean-to - Pohtimolampi
The most challenging part of the entire route section starts from Sinetänpää laavu, because there is no service equipment before Pohtimolampe. Part of the route is located near Lake Sinettäjärvi, so in terms of scenery, the route is located in a beautiful area. The path is well marked and well traveled. There are raven spruces on the ditch banks, otherwise the forest is a mixed forest with pines. The wettest areas are equipped with along long trees.
The route comes to Sinettäharjuntie, along which we continue approx. 1.5 km to Kulkkusenvaara, where the route diverges again into the forest area. After about 7 km, the route joins Sinettäharjuntie again and crosses Sonkajoki. After crossing the river, you reach Pellontie. The route goes along the left edge of Pellontie.
From Pellontie, turn left onto Näkkivaarantie, from which immediately turn right onto Karhulammentie for about 2 km. From the road, follow the signs to the right along the path for about 700 m, after which the road begins. The route ends at Pohtimolammi tourist area. The partial route is classified as easy, but the lack of service equipment poses challenges for hikers.
Drive 4.3 km out of the city centre of Rovaniemi along Ratakatu, which turns into Korkalovaarantie; turn right on Mäntyvaarantie; drive 1.7 km to the parking area. The trail can also be accessed from the Korkalovaarantie parking area near the Mäntyvaarantie intersection, or via the Korkalovaara Hiking Trail.
Route administrator: City of Rovaniemi
Route maintenance: Alltime Oy
Ski trail maintenance: Rovaniemi Latu ja Reitti Oy
Feedback on the route: https://asiointi.rovaniemi.fi/eFeedback
Emergency number: 112
The memory trail leads those going on foot or by bicycle to the historical sites of the city in addition to the cultural attractions of Rovaniemi. The trail that goes through the administrative and cultural centre, Korundi House of Culture, Arktikum, riverside, Ounaskoski bridge and church has 18 oval-shaped metal plates attached to lamp posts and walls of buildings. The plates show photographs of Rovaniemi taken between the 1910s and 1960s. The old photographs were taken at the same site where they are now placed along the trail.
The early 20th century was a significant time for Rovaniemi. With the railway constructed, Rovaniemi grew and developed from a group of countryside villages to an active market town. It became a centre for commerce and transport, and later on also for administration. Buildings represented the Empire style, Revivalism, Jugendstil, 1930s Classicism and a few stone houses even represented Functionalism. Then came the Second World War at the end of which Rovaniemi quickly went up in flames and turned into a smoky sea of ruins. 93% of all buildings were destroyed. The visible layers of history were wiped away from the cityscape.
The past is still, however, present and impacts the city that Rovaniemi is today. With the memory trail, the artists want to reinforce the experience that people walking the streets of Rovaniemi have of the city, by drawing attention to the history that is no longer visible partly because of the destruction of the war.
About the artists
Liisa Karintaus (b. 1977, Rovaniemi) graduated from the University of Lapland as Master of Arts in 2006. She has held private exhibitions since 2002 and has participated in several joint exhibitions since 2000 both in Finland and abroad. The text in the brochure is based on an article written by Liisa Karintaus with the support of the Arts Council of Lapland.
Tiia Lepistö (b. 1977, Espoo) is Bachelor of Culture and Arts (TTVO 2003) and Bachelor of Arts (Lay 2009). She has held private exhibitions and participated in several joint exhibitions since 2000.
Implementation
The old photographs of the work are from the collections of the Provincial Museum of Lapland (LMM) and the Local Heritage Association Rovaniemen
Totto. The old photographs have been carved into oval-shaped metal plates. The materials of the work are brass, aluminium and stainless steel. The plates were carved by Versaali Oy.
City of Rovaniemi, Cultural Committee
Hallituskatu 7, FI-96100 Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi 2011
]]>
The architectural legacy of Alvar Aalto can be seen in the cityscape of Rovaniemi, both in the city center and a little further away. In the city center, along a walking route, there are five notable sites. A bit further, in Korkalovaara, there is a garden-like residential area called Korkalorinne.
Aalto's famous reindeer antler plan, known as the "poronsarviasemakaava" in Finnish, served as the basis for construction during the post-war reconstruction period from 1944 to 1946. The plan got its name because, when viewed from above, it resembled a reindeer's head: the central sports field represents the eye of the reindeer, and the antlers curve organically towards different parts of the city. The plan has not been strictly followed, and in some areas, such as the city center, the four-story cubic style of construction has been partly abandoned as urban development has become more concentrated.
In Etiäinen (this service) you will find Aho’s commercial and residential buildings located on Koskikatu and Jaakonkatu, as well as the Rovaniemi Civic Center situated on Hallituskatu and Jorma Eton tie.
Used as sources, e.g.:
http://lapinkavijat.rovaniemi.fi/aalto/aalto.html
http://julkisetteokset.rovaniemi.fi/taiteilijat/aalto.htm
http://www.rky.fi/read/asp/r_kohde_det.aspx?KOHDE_ID=4278
https://visit.alvaraalto.fi/fi/kehte/aalto-ja-rovaniemi/ [12.4.2023]
Alvar Aalto brochure (LMM)
Alvar Aalto's architecture no. 18 (Aalto museum 2012)
Texts: Tuija Alariesto, Provincial Museum of Lapland. 12/04/2023.
]]>The length of the trail is approximately 800 metres each way and takes a little under an hour to complete, not counting time spent at waypoints.
The Ounasvaara Birch is a fairytale by Annikki Setälä.
]]>