Sights

Puun Sielu Galleria

Vehkavaarantie 250, Onkamo

+358 500 253 722 / Natasha

Onnela with its timber buildings, ponds and arboretum is worth a visit as such in addition to the wonderful Puun Sielu gallery. The exhibition consists of permanent and changing exhibitions with different themes.

Museums

The Tohmajärvi museum area (address: Kirkkotie 14) along the Katri Helena road includes Nyman’s home and pharmacy museum, Maiju Lassila’s home shed, small shed, windmill, barn and Nyman’s building, toilet and farmhouse with café. Attractive environment, changing and permanent exhibitions.

The Saario power plant museum under the river’s arm in the village of Saario is the oldest remaining power station in Finland. The plant mechanism still works.

The school museum in Kaurila brings back school memories from the old days. The Värtsilä mill museum is located in a former flour mill.

Kirkkoniemi                        

Kirkkotie 590, Tohmajärvi

Kirkkoniemi is described as one of the most beautiful church surroundings. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tohmajärvi, built in 1756, is the oldest wooden church in North Karelia. Its bell tower from 1760 was covered by a new shingle roof in the 1990s. The parsonage is from 1841 and the parish house that nowadays serves as a summer café is from 1856.

The church yard contains a cemetery and monument for war heroes deceased during the Winter War and Continuation War, as well as a guard statue. Other monuments include, for example: Kalpakivi, memorial to the dead who remained in Karelia, monuments for the people of Tohmajärvi and Pälkjärvi, who were killed during the Finnish Civil War in 1918, gravestone of bishop Eino Sormunen, monuments for tax collectors Gabriel Wallenius and Gustav Adolf Järnefelt and the monument for the victims of a famine in 1865-1868.

For more information, contact +358 400 967 601. In the summertime, visit the adjacent Pitäjäntupa to ask for a guided church tour.

Pitäjäntupa

Kirkkotie 600, Tohmajärvi

The summer café next to the church, including a sales exhibition of handicrafts and an information desk, is open from Monday to Friday and on Sundays from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm and on Saturday from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm from the beginning of June to mid-August.

For more information on coffee servings for larger groups, contact: +358 40 556 7438 / Maija Kukkonen. Pitäjäntupa’s phone number during open hours: +358 50 373 8172.

Värtsilä Church

Kaurilantie 611

The Värtsilä church is the second church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tohmajärvi. The church was designed by architect Veikko Larkas and was completed in 1950. The church has approximately 300 seats. Funds for the building of the church were provided, for example, by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Wärtsilä Group, Central Fund of the Church and the Swedish Twin Parish.

The commemorative plaques for the late war heroes are on display in the church foyer. The rear wall of the church shows pictures of the Värtsilä church that was destroyed during war in 1941 and remained in the surrendered area. The church hall is decorated with chandeliers evacuated from the old church that remained behind the border.

Guided tours as requested, contact: +358 400 967 601.

The Leminrinne cemetery (address: Kaurilantie 510) is situated at approximately one kilometre from the Värtsilä church towards Kaurila.

The Kaustajärvi cemetery (address: Kaustajärventie 162) is situated at approximately 9 kilometres from the centre of Värtsilä towards Ilomantsi and further around 3 kilometres along the Kaustajärventie road.

Petravaara Eukterion

Petravaarantie 480

The Orthodox Church has previously had a strong presence in Tohmajärvi. Andrew the Apostle’s eukterion is located in Petravaara. This eukterion was designed by architect Vilho Suonmaa and it was built in 1966. Tohmajärvi is part of Joensuu Orthodox Church. Guided tours as requested, contact: +358 13 220 440 or +358 50 323 9490 / Pertti Miinalainen.

The Petravaara cemetery (address: Valkealammentie 78) is a small cemetery in its natural state. It is found by driving along the Petravaarantie road for approximately one kilometre from the eukterion and by turning left to the Valkealammentie road. The cemetery is located at approximately 800 metres at the edge of the forest behind the field.

Saalem Temple

Lassintie 21, Tohmajärvi

Saalem Temple, a pentecostal church that was designed by architect Veikko Gröhn and was opened in September 1983, is located along the Sininen Tie road at the centre of Tohmajärvi. Guided tours as requested, contact: +358 45 123 5670.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions are arranged primarily during summertime. But Tohmajärvi has a lot to offer at other times as well. Woodwork and wooden art can be admired in Onnela in Onkamo all year round. The library arranges various small-scale exhibitions around the year. The claywork sales exhibition in Galleria Savipaja is open mainly during summertime. Visits for groups are available all year round by request. Museum exhibitions are also open in summer. There are also summer exhibitions in many village cafès.

Puun Sielu

Onnela, Vehkavaarantie 250, Onkamo

The exhibition at Puun Sielu presents an extraordinary cross-section of the Finnish and international woodwork expertise. This high-quality exhibition showcases sculptures, turned and engraved work and pyrography.

Galleria Savipaja

Petravaarantie 562, Petravaara

Galleria Savipaja has a permanent sales exhibition. Ornaments, utility ceramics and gifts. The showroom is a former cattle barn, which is hard to believe!

Taitotalo exhibitions

Asemantie 1, Tohmajärvi

Taitotalo, the former handicrafts station, was established already in 1960. Taitotalo arranges exhibitions with varying themes around the year.

Library exhibitions

Asemantie 35 a, Tohmajärvi

The library arranges different exhibitions around the year.

Watts, volts and electricity exhibition

Saario power plant museum, Voimalaitostie 24, Saario

The exhibition presents, for example, equipment for building an electric network and for the generation of electricity. It was compiled by Juhani Ikonen, a long-term employee of electricity company Pohjois-Karjalan Sähkö.

The exhibition is open during the museum’s open hours or by request for groups.

Tohmajärvi museum area exhibitions

Katri Helenan raitti, Kirkkotie 14, Tohmajärvi

The museum area has nine buildings with permanent and annually changing exhibitions. Open during the museum’s open hours in the summertime, other times by request for groups. The entrance fee to the exhibition is EUR 5 per adult. The same ticket allows entrance to all museums and exhibitions in the area.

Activity Services

Carelian Wild Guys

+358 50 572 6734 / Paavo Pakarinen

ppakarin@saunalahti.fi

For example, adventure, paddling and fishing trips to Russia.

Hiidensuon Hevostila

+358 50 421 2102 / Kata Sohlberg

kata.sohlberg@gmail.com

Horse riding camps, riding lessons, trail riding and riding hikes.

Karelia Active

+358 50 399 3737 / Jani Martikainen

info@karelia-active.fi

Guide, food and nature tourism services, such as paddling trips, rope activities, food services in nature.

Kahden Tähden Teatteri

+358 400 486 653 / Teemu Jaatinen, +358 50 573 2389 / Mervi Venäläinen

Entertainment for events and parties. Sketches, hosting and other events.

Kaurila guiding and food services

+358 50 517 7854 / Reino Löppönen, +358 400 946 327 / Pirkko Löppönen

Guided tours, for example, on a tractor trailer through the beautiful landscape of Kaurila. War history, Siiri “Äitee” Rantanen’s childhood home, the first stages in Katri Helena’s singing career.

Rinkilänmäki

+358 50 305 9029 / Sari Rinkinen

sari.rinkinen@pp.inet.fi

Vedic Art classes in the beautiful countryside landscape. Peat treatments, sauna evenings.

Ellilä Travel Farm

+358 50 324 5353 / Mikko Löppönen, +358 40 841 6364

mikkojav@gmail.com

Canoe and snowshoe renting.

Saarion kyläyhdistys ry

+358 50 379 3109 / Mikko Shemeikka

Canoe renting. Five two-seat kayaks and one canoe.

Männistön tila

Haarajärventie 453, Akkala

+358 50 351 9380

Possibility to see different animals, such as Eastern Finncattle, sheep, chickens and rabbits.

Other Attractions

Statues and monuments

Tohmajärvi has several statues and monuments, for example, in Kirkkoniemi, Värtsilä, Kaurila and Jouhkola. The most recent wooden sculptures are found in the central park near the Tohmajärvi municipal office building, in the Nyman museum area and in the surroundings of the summer theatre.