Unique Attractions

Cabinet can be found at the edge of town square, under the rowan trees.

“One doctor who is remembered by many locals is the legendary municipal doctor Veikko Kolehmainen. He held a position of a doctor from 1931 to 1957. The doctor’s wife, Anna, spoke Swedish and when Veikko spoke Finnish, he used many descriptive expressions. The Kolehmainen had “fins” with them on their journey, just as the fish did. Sometimes the family ate “star food”, which meant leftovers. When the doctor was asked to answer the phone, he might have replied: “No, the doctor is not at home, he is doing the autopsy!” The phrase stuck in the family’s mind as the corpse opening!

In front of the doctor’s house, there was the Kolehmainen’s tennis field. In Anna’s language, the tennis racket became a tennis vase.

The family used to visit at the homes of their more prosperous friends. It was interesting for the villagers to follow the family’s progress along the paths and roads.

The family Kolehmainen had their own beach, where nobody else was allowed to go. The doctor himself was an intense swimmer, who even succeeded in the championships, and encouraged his children to practice. The hem of the white coat just fluttered as the doctor ran ashore with a stopwatch in his hand and commanded his children to race.

The family had about 20-25-year-old housekeeper.

Teiju’s ski jump had just been completed. The boys were eager to jump there and the housekeeper listened the boys’ stories with a great interest. When the housekeeper had the next evening off, she went to Teiju, climbed up the tower and jumped down the hill with her wooden skis. It was a sight that many would have wondered at if they had been there! The housekeeper was wearing a skirt and her hem was just fluttering as she went.”

Made by Joni Virolainen

Cabinet can be found to the left of the building that has Pielakka and Säätöpaja businesses.

“Keijo was the best runner when he was at the Rannankylä Primary School. In the school sports competition, the boys in the top two classes ran 800 meters. Keijo ran to the front and soon took a twenty meter lead, and this way led the whole group for the first round. At the beginning of the second lap, his legs started to get heavy and the pace slowed down. The other boys were eager to scurry past Keijo. In the back curve, Keijo gained new strength and pushed the pace so that before the finish line, the gap between the others stretched to tens of meters. After the race, the head master Matti Näsänen asked Keijo: – “Were you about to stiffen?”
– No, I just let the others get ahead of me sometimes, so they could have a bit fun too.”

Made by Elsi Kantola and Lillian Tissari

Cabinet can be found at the front of the library.

“In the 1960s, there was a home economics room upstairs in the wooden school, even though there was no water supply.

The students made berry porridge for desert. The porridge pot was taken to an outdoor staircase to cool down. Coincidentally, the pot was not there after a while. There were no traces of animals or anything else pointing to a disappearance. After some time, they discovered that the pot was in front of the stairs, and after all, facing the right way. It was winter, there was snow and ice on the stairs, so the warm pot had slid on its own time from one staircase to the next, and finally all the way down.”

Made by Aleksi Salminen

Cabinet can be found at the front of the library.

“In 1862, the prison hut of the Pielavesi holder was built on the Kyöstilä dam. The prison shelters were so small that a man could not stand up straight inside, even shackles were used.

It has been told that Kyöstilä is haunted, it could be the inhabitants of the former prison. Current residents said that when their noisy family moved into the house, the ghosts had no business being under the same roof.

Pieksupetäjä grows on the right side of Kyöstilä, near the house in the middle of a pine cluster. It is a scorched tree with an unusual crown, a large stone at its base and a green nature reserve sign. A criminal was tied to a hasp beaten into the side of the tree with leather straps or with a birchbark rope to hang by their hands. In Pieksäjä, a pair of 60-80 centimeter willow rods were used to beat the criminal on the back. After the beating, the lashes were exchanged, and the punishment could be 20 or even 40 pairs of lashes. Naturally, the screams of the punished person were heard far and wide. It is said that one of the beaten had been punished silently, and when they were asked about it, the answer was: “I have not come to Pielavesi for the sexton election!” After the prison times, mentally ill people were held in Kyöstilä. In 1927, the building became the property of the Pielavesi congregation, and became Pikkupappila, the official residence of the chaplain.”

Made by Julius Remes

Cabinet can be found at the front of Pentecostal flea market.

“The police car used in the Pielavesi district was a Volga. The car served its purpose honorably until the very end, but then it was time to replace it with a new car. The replaced cars were driven to a car depot in Helsinki, where the new car was obtained. Sergeant Teuvo Laukkanen from Pielavesi and constable Tapio Malkki, who was the driver, went on the exchange trip. The journey was uneventful until they reached Mikkeli, when Laukkanen, who was sitting in the back seat, tapped the driver on the shoulder and urged him to speed up, because, according to the sergeant’s observations, the car’s rear wheel was trying to pass the car. The rear wheel had come loose and was running alongside the car. However, the dangerous situation was escaped unharmed and Pielavesi received a new police car.”

Made by Immo Kantola

Cabinet can be found at the crossroads of Pappilantie and Puustellintie.

“The owner of the manor, businessman Petter Lyytikäinen, ran a shop in Saarela. In the 1870s, he built a storage building, Makasin, on the shore of the village of Pielavesi, partly on the water, on piles. It is known that the villagers had decided that no one would sell or rent land to Lyytikäinen. The Makasin was loaded with goods, which were brought in horse-drawn carts from the boat of Tuovilanlahti. In 1880, the Pielavesi’s Höyryvenhe Oy ship dock was built next to the Makasin.

Trading in Rentala began in 1886 as a branch of Saarela’s shop. Madam Berlund ran the shop and was precise to keep the premises clean and the shop staff well looked after. She taught the shop assistants good manners and the Swedish language, which was useful in business life. Rantala helped people in many ways, including delivering pharmacy supplies, waiting for a boat and using the telephone.”

Made by Tanja Mönkkönen