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Alvar and Gösta – two Masters

Location: Jyväskylä, Mänttä, Finland

Duration: 3 days

Sites: Serlachius Museum Gustaf, Art Museum Gösta, Alvar Aalto in Jyväskylä, Alvar Aalto Museum, Säynätsalo Town Hall

Persons: Min. 10 persons

Available: All year on request. The availability of services and prices are verified at the time of booking.

Accommodation: Included

Transportation: Not included

Themes: Block of flats, Classicism, Cultural buildings, Modernism, Office buildings, Red brick, Schools, Sports facilities

From 315 € per person

Two great figures who were inspired by the Finnish forest!

Tour highlights:

  • Serlachius Museum Gustaf and Art Museum Gösta.
  • Jyväskylä, the capital of Alvar Aalto’s architecture: follow the footsteps of the master from classicism to functionalism and from architecture in brick to monumentalism!

What significance does art, architecture and design have for Finland and its people? What is the relationship between art, architecture and design and the forest industry, the traditional lifeline of the Finnish economy? How close to nature is it possible for Finnish architecture and design to get?

The Alvar and Gösta tour offers, on a human scale, a unique insight into the Finnish way of living in close rela-tionship with nature. The tour offers unforgettable experiences for fans of culture and those who would like to learn more about the Finnish way of life in the midst of the most beautiful Central Finland landscapes, where lakes, rivers and forests are ever present.

Th Serlachius Art Museum Gösta in Mänttä is surrounded by woods. Photo: Serlachius Museums.

ガイド付きツアーに参加することでミュージアムをさらに楽しみましょう。写真:Maija Holma(アルヴァ・アアルト財団)

The Alvar and Gösta tour offers a unique insight into the Finnish way of living in close relationship with nature. Learn how forests have been omnipresent in the life of Finns, whether in architecture and design or the wood-processing and forest industry.
Serlachius Museum Gustaf is situated at a beautiful lakeside in the center of Mänttä. Photo: Serlachius Museums.
Serlachius Museum Gustaf is situated at a beautiful lakeside in the center of Mänttä. Photo: Serlachius Museums.
The Serlachius Art Museum Gustaf was originally the headquarters of the G.A. Serlachius Company. Photo: Serlachius Museums.
The Serlachius Art Museum Gustaf was originally the headquarters of the G.A. Serlachius Company. Photo: Serlachius Museums.
alvar-aalto-museo-perusnayttely-kuva-alvar-aalto-museo-saatio
Alvar Aalto Museum has a permanent exhibition about Alvar Aalto's life and career. Photo: Alvar Aalto Foundation
ALVAR AALTO LOCATION-UNIVERSITY of jyväskylä interior-PHOTO TERO TAKALO-ESKOLA
Jyväskylä University main buildings entrance hall gets its light from the skylights. Photo: Tero Takalo-Eskola, Visit Jyväskylä
ALVAR AALTO LOCATION VIITATORNI-sky view-PHOTO TERO TAKALO-ESKOLA
Viitatorni apartment block house by Alvar Aalto in Jyväskylä. Photo: Visit Jyväskylä, Tero Takalo-Eskola.
ALVAR AALTO LOCATION SÄYNÄTSALO TOWN HALL ©VISIT JYVÄSKYLÄ PHOTO TERO TAKALO-ESKOLA_5
Säynätsalo Town Hall's main lobby and the office corridor curve around the inner courtyard. Photo: Tero Takalo-Eskola, Visit Jyväskylä
saynatsalon-kunnantalo-valtuustosalin-puinen-kattorakenne-kuva-maija-holma-alvar-aalto-museo
Detail of the Council Chamber. Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Foundation
The Art museum pavilion Gösta opened for public in 2014. Photo: Serlachius Museums.
The Art museum pavilion Gösta opened for public in 2014. Photo: Serlachius Museums.

Programme by day

Day 1: Day with Gösta

At 10:00 Arrival in Mänttä, the Tale of the Finnish Forest tour.

We will arrive at the magnificent, former head office built in the 1930s, nowadays the Serlachius Museum Gustaf offering an abundance of experiences. We will time warp back to the year 1951, breathing in the hierarchical atmosphere of the head office. A stern recruiter will give us her personal welcome and test whether we are suitable for a position in the forest company!

We will also have an opportunity to make paper ourselves and get acquainted with the “Paper Devil”, G. A. Serlachius, who was a pioneer of the Finnish paper industry, notorious for his erratic business sense. His life and business affairs are shown in the eloquent exhibition that contains eight dramatized scenes.

At 12:00 Lunch at Art Museum Gösta

Next, we will visit the former manor house of Gösta Serlachius and the new pavilion next door, where lunch will be served from the menu created by leading Finnish chefs. All food is made from the best seasonal Finnish ingredients.

At 13:00 National art treasures and wood architecture at Art Museum Gösta

Art Museum Gösta is known for having one of the best collections from the Golden Age of Finnish art. Many of the artists from this period, 1880–1910, were strongly inspired by Finnish nature. We will also explore the new building, the large pavilion, an award-winning specimen of contemporary wood construction.

At 14:30 Coffee break

Coffee break at a peasant log cabin or Gösta’s ski cabin, which today serves as a wine bar. We will enjoy a cup of coffee or other beverages in an Autereen tupa, a traditional Finnish log-built house that used to be the residence of the estate manager, before we head to Jyväskylä, the Alvar Aalto capital.

At 17:00 Arrive in Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä is the capital of Alvar Aalto architecture. Jyväskylä is a bold and vibrant city in the middle of the most beautiful part of the Finnish lake-land. The city is known as the Alvar Aalto capital, as it boasts more buildings designed by the master than any other city in the world.

Accommodation at Hotel Verso.

Independent dinner.

Breakfast

At 10:00 Aalto Andante walking tour

Who was architect Alvar Aalto? What is the legacy of his design and architecture for the Finnish mental landscape? What did the landscape of Central Finland with is lakes and forests mean to Alvar Aalto? The tour takes us through the milestones of Alvar Aalto’s life and career, from a schoolboy to the iconic master of his art. We will hear interesting and fascinating stories about his life and his personal character, his professional highs and lows, and his sources of inspiration – and we will also learn about some of his unrealised projects. Duration 3 hrs. The tour includes: Workers’ Club, Defence Corps Building, The Administrative and Cultural Centre, the police headquarters (Tietotalo), the city office building, Jyväskylä Theatre, University Campus and Alvar Aalto Museum.

At 13:00 Lunch at Café Alvar

We will have lunch together at the museum café, surrounded by Aalto’s architecture.

At 14:30 Aalto Bravo bus tour (2 h)

We board the bus and head for a number of major Alvar Aalto sites outside the city centre. The bus tour includes Muurame Church and Säynätsalo Town Hall, where we will stop for coffee. Säynätsalo Town Hall (1949–1952) is one of the most important works of Alvar Aalto and of 20th century architecture in general. The building has attracted global interest since it was first built. The majestic redbrick building has a raised atrium that leads to the entrance to the administrative offices and the library. The Assembly Hall stands higher than the rest of the group of buildings, sovereignly commanding the land-scape.

At 16:30 Arrive in Jyväskylä

Opportunity for shopping in the city centre and an independent dinner.

Useful information

We recommend:

  • Restaurant Harmooni, a cosy cellar restaurant in an old harmonium factory
  • Restaurant Figaro, Chaîne des Rôtisseurs since 2010, wine bistro
  • Restaurant Vesilinna, in the water tower on the Harju hill, with great views over the city

Finnish breakfast at Hotel Verso. Check Out.

Sites included in this trip

The Art museum pavilion Gösta opened for public in 2014. Photo: Serlachius Museums.

Serlachius Museum Gustaf

Mänttä

Serlachius Museum Gustaf, a magnificent building and a former head office built in the 1930s after an architectural competition that Alvar Aalto in fact lost. Nowadays this building offers an abundance of experiences. We will time warp back to the year 1951, breathing in the hierarchical atmosphere of the head office. A stern recruiter will give us her personal welcome and test whether we are suitable for a position in the company!

The Art museum pavilion Gösta opened for public in 2014. Photo: Serlachius Museums.

Art Museum Gösta

Mänttä

Art Museum Gösta is known for having one of the best collections from the Golden Age of Finnish art. Many of the artists from this period, 1880–1910, were strongly inspired by Finnish nature. We will also explore the new building, the large pavilion, an award-winning specimen of contemporary wood construction.

The Art museum pavilion Gösta opened for public in 2014. Photo: Serlachius Museums.

Alvar Aalto in Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä

In Jyväskylä, the city of lakes and hills in the heart of the Finnish Lakeland, you’ll find the largest number of masterful buildings in the whole world designed by the world-famous architect and academician Alvar Aalto. The impressive portfolio of 28 locations includes, for instance, the Alvar Aalto Museum, Muurame…

The Art museum pavilion Gösta opened for public in 2014. Photo: Serlachius Museums.

Alvar Aalto Museum

Jyväskylä / 1971-73

Alvar Aalto Museum is part of the new Aalto2 Museum Centre; a unique meeting place of architecture, design and cultural heritage in Jyväskylä. Alvar Aalto was commissioned to prepare drawings for Jyväskylä art museum, which were finished in autumn 1971. The building was completed in 1973. The Alvar Aalto…

The Art museum pavilion Gösta opened for public in 2014. Photo: Serlachius Museums.

Säynätsalo Town Hall

Jyväskylä / 1949-52

The invitational competition for Säynätsalo Town Hall was held in 1949. Aalto won the competition with an entry marked ‘Curia’, and was immediately commissioned to prepare working drawings. Completed in 1952, the building is one of Aalto’s most admired designs. The dominant element of the building is the council chamber,…

Information on this trip

Good to know

Important information:

The group arrives by its own bus. Transfers between the attractions by the groups’ own bus during the visit.

Walking information:

The tour includes some walking and stairs. Suitable for persons with normal physical condition. Not unobstructed in all respects.

Language: English, German

Included

The package includes:

  • Accommodation in double/twin room with breakfast at Hotel Verso for two nights
  • Admission fee and guided tours at Gustaf and Gösta (Serlachius Museums), paper workshop at Gustaf
  • Guided Aalto tours (Aalto Andante and Aalto Bravo) in Jyväskylä
  • Admission fees to Alvar Aalto Museum and Säynätsalo Town Hall
  • 2 x lunch and 1 x coffee with seasonal sweet

Optional services

Available for extra charge:

  • Alvar Aalto e la natura lunch cruise from Jyväskylä to Säynätsalo Town Hall. Return to Jyväskylä by group’s own coach

Excluded

  • Transfers
  • Dinners
  • Alcoholic or soft drinks during lunch
  • Optional activities and visits

Example price 315 € per person

315 € / person

Single supplement: 90 €/ person/ 2 nights

Inquiries and bookings

Example price 315 € per person

315 € / person

Single supplement: 90 €/ person/ 2 nights

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