Sortavala Museum of History and Architecture
Growing up in Sortavala, Karelia, Marina’s childhood was surrounded by Finnish architecture. Her family house was partly damaged during WWII and had lost much of its original appearance. It was then reconstructed and repurposed from a public to a residential building. However, Sortavala remains filled with amazing, but sadly neglected, architecture. Many public buildings in the city have been stripped of their original interiors and facades have been painted in anachronistic colour schemes. This was caused by a lack of knowledge among the well meaning amateurs charged with maintaining the architectural heritage. Thankfully, some of these buildings ended up in good hands.
Sortavala has been part of the Swedish and Russian Empires and Finland and its Town Hall was designed by Frans Anatolius Sjöström, a Finnish architect of Swedish origin, in 1882 (built 1885). The building itself remains one of the most significant monuments of Finnish wooden architecture of the 19th century.
During the Soviet period, the Moscow Peace Treaty forced Finland to cede the town to the USSR and a Party Office and, later, a Central Library were installed. In the 2000s the building was almost abandoned and remained in a dilapidated state until it came into the possession of a charitable organisation.
At that time Sortavala was not popular for local tourism and no one cared much about the condition of buildings so far off the beaten track. However during the pandemic, travel restrictions meant that people developed an interest in previously unexplored parts of the country, including Sortavala.
Marina created this project to draw attention to the crumbling monument of wooden architecture and help the foundation raise the necessary funds to restore the roof and start restoration. She researched the archives of the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the National Archives of Finland. Some of the documents were presented by the Kronid Gogolev Foundation, current owners of the building.
The project was presented as telling the story of architects and significant figures who had lived in the town. In other words, it was not only an idea of what the museum would look like, but how it could become an exhibition.
In the palette she used complex, bright but slightly muted colours inspired by the original interiors of that time. This colour scheme combined beautifully with fragments of the original wall paint found in two of the rooms at the beginning of the restoration.
It is important to note that Eliel Saarinen’s interior sketches for Leander’s house, which became available on the website of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, were a great inspiration whilst Marina was working on the project.
The concept of the Museum of History and Architecture
The tour begins with an introduction to the famous Eliel Saarinen and his family, whose work had been associated with other significant people of Sortavala.
Old pictures from the archives shows that the Town Hall was full of Thonet chairs back in the 20s-30s era. This influenced Marina’s choice to furnish the vestibule with Thonet benches.
It is impossible not to mention Eliel Saarinen’s son Eero and the acknowledgment of such great names and their international legacy will help to cement the status of the Sortvala’s architectural heritage.
To represent Eero Saarinen work his Womb chair was placed at the Museum shop reading area. Here visitors can read local almanack Serdobol, and buy books about architecture and design.
Vintage Örsjö Belyshing wall lamps by Kjell Blomberg were suggested to use as a decorative lighting. Marina also designed the magazine stand to create a cohesive look that represents designers of Finnish, Swedish and Russian origin.
The right wing of the building houses the part of the exhibition dedicated to the wooden architecture of Sortavala, represented mostly by city planners Leanders. The fragments of original wall paint, which Marina used as a palette in this room, were found during the first stage of restoration.
Another part of the exhibition represents the work of Eliel Saarinen for Leander’s family. He created the facades and part of the interiors of the National Bank which is better known as Leanders House.
In the museum archive, next to the exhibition hall, there hangs a portrait of the architect of the Town Hall, Frans Anatolius Sjöström. He was the first person to teach architecture at the Polytechnic School in Helsinki in 1873 and is the godfather of architectural education in Finland.
In the left wing of the building there are an office of the Kronid Gogolev Foundation and storage of the museum. This is the second room where the original wall paint has been found.
At the table Dr. Gustav Winter. The first district hospital in Sortavala was built on his initiative. Moreover, in 1909 Eliel Saarinen designed a country house for him.
Nowadays, the Winter’s Villa surrounded by a popular tourist complex. However, few people know about the existence of Saarinen’s architecture nearby.
At the main hall where the permanent exhibition is presented, Marina suggested recreating the lost fireplaces based on the original sketches of F. A. Sjöström.
The space of the main hall capable of 100 people also planned to be used for small chamber concerts: 90 seats are located at the hall, 10 seats are on the balcony, where the architects gathered.
From left to right: Wivi Lönn, Elsi Borg, Uno Ulberg, Herman Geselius, Eliel Saarinen, Jac Ahrenberg, whose work deserves their own exhibitions at the future Museum of History and Architecture.
