Louhisaari manor

60°34′15″N 21°49′52″E / 60.570944°N 21.831134°E / 60.570944; 21.831134

Louhisaari Manor
Louhisaaren kartano
Villnäs slott
Louhisaari Manor façade
Louhisaari manor is located in Finland
Louhisaari manor
Location in Finland
General information
Architectural stylePalladian, Late Renaissance
LocationAskainen, Masku, Southwest Finland, Finland
OwnerGovernment of Finland
Governing bodyFinnish Heritage Agency
Design and construction
ArchitectHerman Claesson Fleming (probable)

Louhisaari Manor (Finnish: Louhisaaren kartano or Swedish: Villnäs slott) is a historic baroque manor house in Askainen in the municipality of Masku, Western Finland Province, Finland. The mansion is the birthplace and childhood home of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish military leader, statesman and sixth president of Finland (1944–1946).[1][2]

History

The Fleming family acquired the Louhisaari estate around the middle of the 15th century. The Louhisaari Flemings held prominent offices in the kingdom of Sweden (including Finland). Herman Claesson Fleming [fi], admiral and governor of Finland, constructed the manor in 1655. After three hundred years, the financially pressed Fleming family had to sell the house.

The Mannerheim family acquired the manor in 1795. Known residents were Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, a Finnish entomologist and governor of the Viipuri province, and his grandson Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, who was born here in 1867. Baroness Wilhelmina Mannerheim moved to Sweden and sold the house to Oskar Hannus in 1903. A charity committee in honour of Marshal Mannerheim purchased the mansion and donated it to the Finnish State in 1965, which opened it as a museum for visitors in 1967. The museum gave a good presentation of the ways of life of people in Finland from to the 17th to the 19th centuries.[2] In October 2024, it was announced that the museum would be closed due to budget cuts by Petteri Orpo's government affecting the Finnish Heritage Agency.[3] However, the government gave initial funds to keep the museum open for the public.[4]

Architecture & design

The house is a fine and rare example of a Palladian-style country house in Finland.[5] The architect is unknown, but some presume Herman Fleming, the owner, to be the builder and designer. During its history, the buildings (manor and annexes) more or less remained in their original form, but were subject to renovations and repair. During the restoration of the 1960s, the exterior was restored back to its 17th century style as much as possible. The first and third floor of the manor were also restored in 17th century style, while the second floor was brought back to the 18th and 19th century design.

The house is surrounded by a park in English landscape style.

Fundraising campaign

Louhisaari inaugurated a fundraising campaign in 2025. As part of the initiative, each donor is symbolically allocated one square meter of land at Louhisaari for the duration of one year. In recognition of their support, contributors are also conferred the honorary designations "Friend of Louhisaari" and "Honorary Herman." The campaign is placed under the patronage of countess Margaretha Mannerheim.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ "Louhisaaren kartano - Aukioloajat ja opastetut kierrokset". Visit Naantali. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b Koskela, Hannu (19 June 2018). "Marsalkka C. G. E.Mannerheimin (1867–1951) syntymäkodissa, Fleming-suvun vuonna 1655 rakennuttamassa kartanossa voit elää hetken suomalaisen suurmiehen varakasta lapsuutta". Apu. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Museoviraston säästöt sulkevat Mannerheimin syntymäkodin, Seurasaaren ja muita museoita – "Koko toiminta kurjistuu"". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  4. ^ Lepänrinne, Jenni (2024-11-21). "Louhisaaren linna säästyy sulkemiselta". ts.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  5. ^ Irma Lounatvuori and Marja Terttu Knapas, Louhisaaren kartano: suku ja rälssi - säteri ja kirkko, Museovirasto, Helsinki, 2005.
  6. ^ "Viimeinen Suomessa asunut Mannerheim palasi esi-isiensä linnaan: "Ruotsissa näitä on joka kylässä, Suomessa vain kaksi"". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2025-06-14. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  7. ^ "Louhisaaren kartanomuseo hakee vahvistusta joukkorahoituksella – lahjoittajat saavat ikioman palan puutarhaa". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2025-04-26. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  8. ^ HS, Anni Lassila; HS, Juhani Niiranen (2014-12-08). "Viimeiset Mannerheimit". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louhisaari_Manor