Places to visit

More than only landscape

Finland's most beloved national landscape and nature are top attractions in Koli. Here are our tips for other places to visit in the area.

Places to visit in Koli

Koli Nature Centre Ukko

In the Koli Nature Centre Ukko, the heart of Koli National Park, meet the culture and nature of Koli National Park. The exhibitions of Ukko provide both information, art and experience. At the Permanent Exhibition on National Landscape you will learn about history, geology, nature and culture of Koli. In the auditorium, you can watch Koli-related movies and presentations. You can buy maps and other printed materials, handicrafts as well as Koli and nature-related souvenirs, textiles, postcards and camping gear at the shop in the nature Centre. The Centre is run by Retkipaikka / Finland Naturally Experiences.

Koli Nature Centre Ukko, Ylä-Kolintie 39, 83960 Koli, tel. +358 40 773 2442,  ukko@retkipaikka.fi, www.ukko.retkipaikka.fi.

Koli Heritage Museum

Koli Heritage Museum (Kolin Kotiseutumuseo) tells about the history of Koli with photos and old items. A renewed exhibition presents, among other things, Koli’s air surveillance during the Second World War, sports and tourism history, and shows how Koli became a national landscape. Photos taken by Einar A. Saarelainen, a local photographer, provide a vivid and interesting picture of Koli.

Open Closed for the sumer season 2023. (Open for groups by request)

Koli Heritage Museum, Ylä-Kolintie 1 B, 83960 Koli, merjaihtolvanen@gmail.com.

Koli Sculpture Garden

A new attraction in Koli! The Sculpture Garden (about one hectare) is divided into different sections according to the colour of the plants. A true jewel of the garden are the impressive sculptures made by Lasse Martikainen, a horticulturist and an amateur artist. Cafe with ice cream and softdrinks. The family-friendly garden is open daily from May to September Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–3pm. Martikkalantie 13, 83960 Koli, tel. +358 50 466 5040,  lasse.martikainen@kolinpuutarha.fi.

Open every day from May to September, Mon–Sat 9–17 Sun 10–15.

Koli Sculpture Garden/Koli Garden, Martikkalantie 13, 83960 Koli, tel. +358 504 665 040, lasse.martikainen@kolinpuutarha.fi, kolinpuutarha.fi.

Koli Church

Koli Church, designed by architect Veikko Kyander, was completed in 1930. The altar sculpture is made by sculptor Eva Ryynänen. The building was originally completed as a prayer room for the Christian Society and has since been expanded to its present form. The church has an exhibition of religious education boards.The church is open to the public in summer with exception of private events like weddings of funerals.

Kolin kirkko, Ylä-Kolintie 4 A, 83960 Koli, tel. +358 40 036 9919,  +358 40 036 5575, lieksa@evl.fi.

The longest in Europe ice road on inland waters between Koli and Vuonislahti

When the weather permits, the longest official ice waterway in Europe's inland waters, opening in mid-winter, is a stunning experience! The road connects the village of Koli on the west shore of Pielinen and the village of Vuonislahti on the east shore of Pielinen. More than 500 vehicles a day are counted during the peak season on the 7-kilometer ice road that forms part of the public road network. Authorities will open the road for road traffic when the sturdy ice is at least 40 cm thick. At its longest, the Koli-Vuonislahti ice road has been open until the end of April.

 

 

Places to visit in Lieksa

Atelier of Eva Ryynänen and Paateri Church

Eva Ryynänen (1915–2001) created more than 500 wooden sculptures in her home and atelier in Paateri. Paateri Church, her largest work, was completed in 1991 and a gallery cafe in 1993. All the buildings, the family home, atelier, Paateri Church and the gallery cafe, were designed by Eva Ryynänen. In addition to the sculptures, there is a photography exhibition about the artist’s life in the atelier. Paateri is in Vuonislahti village, 28 km from Lieksa towards Joensuu. Open 15th May 2019– 15th September 2019. Other times open on reservation only. Paateri 21, 81560 Vuonisjärvi, tel. +358 40 104 4055,  museo@lieksa. fi, www.lieksa.fi/paateri.

Paateri, Paateri 21, 81560 Vuonisjärvi tel. +358 401 044 055, lieksa.fi/museum.
 

Pielinen museum

The museum is by the Lieksanjoki River, near Lieksa town centre. This second largest open-air museum in Finland consists of a main building with exhibition rooms and an extensive outdoor area with more than 70 buildings or structures. There are, for example, three farmyards from the 18th to 20th centuries, a mill, loggers’ cabins and old forestry machinery, granaries and storehouses with farming and fishing equipment and machines and even old firefighting equipment.

Pielinen museum, Pappilantie 2, 81720 Lieksa, museo@lieksa.fi, tel. +358 401 044 151, lieksa.fi/museum.

Other destinations near Lieksa centre

The Evangelical-Lutheran church in Lieksa was designed by famous architects Raili and Reima Pietilä. The church was completed in 1982. Other Evangelical-Lutheran churches in the Lieksa municipality are in the villages of Viekijärvi, Pankakoski, Nurmijärvi and Koli. The most famous Orthodox churches are the St. Prophet Elijah Orthodox Church and the Chapel of the Transfiguration of Christ. In Rajaperinnetalo – Border Heritage House there is an exhibition of the history of the Finnish-Russian border surveillance from the 17th century to the present day.

Places to visit in Juuka

Stone Village

Stone Village is a renovated business and experience center in Juuka, about 25 kilometers from the village of Koli. Kivikylä includes several commercial buildings, including small business premises, a museum, a restaurant and the Tulikivi studio.
Stone Village (Kivikylä) also has a Koli Brewery store, photographer Kuvatupa Valonpisara and changing art sales exhibitions. Come and see the traditional path in the Kivikylä yard, at the end of which you can also take a peek at the quarry.

Stone Village, Joensuuntie 1226, Juuka.

 

Puu-Juuka

Puu-Juuka, the old centre of Juuka, is a fine example of Finnish building tradition which is now hard to find. The original, old wooden buildings make the old village centre unique. This authentic atmosphere also attracts film and TV-series production crews. Puu-Juuka is in a triangle between the Juukajoki River and main roads. There was a village by the Juuanjoki River, where the present town of Juuka is located, as early as in the 16th century. By the end of the 19th century the settlement was concentrated along the main road. The oldest surviving buildings in this area date from the late 19th or the early 20th century. Among these buildings there are residential, commercial and public buildings. There are many interesting details in these buildings, such as pediments, decorative window frames and cornice consoles. The true cultural-historical value, however, becomes from the area and its buildings as a whole. In Puu-Juuka there is the Mill Museuni, an old, restored timber slide and a playground for children. The area of Puu-Juuka also includes a small and romantic bridge, Haaveiden silta (Bridge of Dreams) over Herralankoski Rapids. There is also Taitokartano, a cafe and a place where local artisans practice their professions.  You can experience the atmosphere of Puu-Juuka by staying overnight in an idyllic Majatalo Juuka guesthouse. See also the map of Puu-Juuka.

Mill Museum and Municipal Museum

The Mill Museum is located along Herralankoski Rapids close to Puu-Juuka, the old wood-built town quarter. In the idyllic museum area you can visit a miller’s cottage, a granary and a smoke sauna. Come and discover the restored, functioning mill museum and see an old mill working. Municipal Museum housed in an old granary, built in 1825, the museum is bursting with old Juuka artefacts. The museum premises also include a shed with two furnished apartments. Open 2 July–11 August 2019 Tue–Sat 12noon–6pm. Closed Sun and Mon.

Juuka Church

Designed by architect C. A. Gustavsson, the beautiful wooden church was built in 1850–1851. There are seats for 900 people. The altarpiece is Kaarlo Kiljander’s copy (1885) of A. von Becker’s painting “Christ on the Cross”, which was destroyed in a fire.

Juuka Church,  Kirkkotie 15, 83900 Juuka, tel. +358 503 132 875 or +358 503 552 165, www.juuanseurakunta.fi.

Show your Kli