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In the poetry village, the kantele and folk songs resonate in the summer! In Parppeinvaara, Karelian cultural heritage, local nature, and wartime memories are preserved and thrive.

Parppeinvaara poetry village is named after Jaakko Parppei, a famous kantele player who lived on the hill in the 19th century. The poetry village has been built since the 1960s in memory of Karelian building traditions and folk singers. The village's diverse buildings and exhibitions tell about the legacy of folk singers, Karelian food traditions, wartime events, and local nature.

In the Folk Singer's House, kantele music is played by our skilled guides in the summer. In Mateli Kuivatar's Birth Home Granary, you can learn about an important folk singer who sang verses from Kanteletar to Elias Lönnrot in 1838. The legendary Border General Raappana's Cabin served as a command post on the Rukajärvi front during the war years 1941-44. Contemporary art is displayed in the Korhonen Museum Granaries. The Chapel of All Saints is a small Orthodox shrine built in Parppeinvaara in 1980 for the filming of the Larin Paraske movie, following a Karelian model. The chapel is used by the Ilomantsi Orthodox Parish, and its icons are painted by local icon painters.

The exhibition at Nature House Mesikkä tells about the relationship between humans and nature: traditions, hunting, and the special characteristics of local nature. The exhibition is based on the unique collection of stuffed animals by Heimo Rautava, a hunter and teacher from Ilomantsi. In the museum, you can explore diorama landscapes, folk beliefs, listen to the calls of cranes, and marvel at the size of a bear standing on two legs. Mesikkä is named after Major General Raappana's pet bear, who guarded the command post at Rukajärvi during the war.

Discover more about the poetry village's services here.