Lepola – Ahti Karjalaisen synnyinkotimuseo
Lepola in Kuitula, Hirvensalmi, is the childhood home of Prime Minister Ahti Karjalainen, where the daily life of a farm, a village shop and a post office has been preserved as a museum.
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About the museum
Lepola is in the village of Kuitula in Hirvensalmi, along Joutsantie, about 22 kilometres from central Hirvensalmi. It was the childhood home of the politician Ahti Karjalainen (born 1923). Karjalainen's mother, Lyydia, received the Lepola farm as a wedding gift when she married Anshelm Karjalainen in 1915. The family lived on the farm until 1962, after which it served as the family's summer cottage. The municipality of Hirvensalmi bought Lepola in 2002, and the museum opened to the public in 2004.
The yard is bounded by the main building from 1904, the cowshed-storehouse building, and the grain and shop granary. Lepola combines a house museum, a local heritage museum, a biographical museum and a special museum. All the objects on display are authentic items from the Lepola farm, which give a picture of everyday life in the early 20th century.
Lepola was also the post office of Kuitula village until the 1960s, and visitors can see an authentic mid-20th-century rural post office. Karjalainen's father ran a shop in the yard. The stages of Ahti Karjalainen's career are told in the Pitäjäntupa museum in central Hirvensalmi.
Highlights
- Ahti Karjalainen's childhood home
- Main building from 1904 and the farm's original objects
- Mid-20th-century rural post office
- Grain and shop granary
- Free admission
Permanent exhibition
- Lepolan talomuseo – The farm's original objects are on display in the yard and the main building, as well as memories of the rural post office and village shop.
- Operated by
- Hirvensalmen kunta
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
Lepola is in the village of Kuitula along Joutsantie, about 22 kilometres from central Hirvensalmi.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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