Seurasaari

Midsummer bonfire, Seurasaari

Seurasaari (Swedish: Fölisön) is an island and a district in Helsinki, Finland, known mostly as the location of the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, which consists of old, mainly wooden buildings transplanted from elsewhere in Finland and placed in the dense forest landscape of the island.

Red squirrel in Seurasaari. The almost domesticated red squirrels on that island have become accustomed to humans thanks to their long-term feeding.

Every summer, many Helsinkians come to Seurasaari to enjoy the rural, peaceful outdoor atmosphere. Despite the visitors, the island has a variety of wildlife, especially birds, but also red squirrels and hares. The height of the island's popularity is at Midsummer, when a huge bonfire (Finnish: juhannuskokko, Swedish: midsommareld) is built on a small isle just off the island's coast, and ignited by a newlywed couple. Thousands of people, both tourists and Helsinkians, watch the burning of the bonfire from both Seurasaari itself and from boats anchored near it.

Seurasaari also includes one of only two nudist beaches in Helsinki and one of only three in the entire country. Unlike the other nudist beaches, the beach is segregated for men and women separately with no unisex nudist area and is subject to a fee.

Gallery

• 
  The Granary, built in the North-Ostrobothnian style.
• 
  The Water Mill.
• 
  The Tree Storehouse from Petsamo
• 
  Storehouse from Utsjoki
• 
  Hay Cabin from Utsjoki
• 
  Niemelä tenant farm.
• 
  Building at Niemelä tenant farm.
• 
  Apotropaic mark on a farmhouse from Niemelä Tenant Farm
• 
  Pertinotsa farmhouse.
• 
  Farm windmill
• 
  Clothes and food stores.
• 
  A Midsummer pole based on examples found at Eckerö in Åland.

See also

• Architecture of Finland

External links

• The Seurasaari Open-Air Museum
• The Seurasaari Foundation