Welcome to Misery and Poverty! - Experience the Village of Poverty

Milla Hytönen, Peter Lindenberg & Sini Kaapro-Lindenberg | 27.10.2021

Coordinates lead towards Sumiainen’s Köyhyydenkylä. Rautionmäki’s Köyhyydenkylä is an atmospheric museum area that can be rented for various events and celebrations. Köyhyydenkylä was built to tell the story of times past. Built through community volunteer work, the village incurred no costs except for nails, as all materials were recycled. This is where the site’s distinctive name comes from—don’t let it fool you.

Community spirit and stories

The main lodge invites you into a banquet hall that can accommodate even a larger group of celebrants. Next to the log wall there’s a cradle in which villagers have in turn rocked their babies. The village association’s leader Timo tells and points out the names that adorn the cradle.

A table in the banquet hall in front of the window.

On the dining room side, Veikko and Timo talk about the stunning design of the self-made light fixtures. The kitchen has ceramic tableware for celebrations. We enjoyed coffee together and heard many stories from Sumiainen’s colorful history. Did you know that Sumiainen has had its own district police chief and provincial governor?

Our conversation shows how wonderful things can be achieved by working together! Köyhyydenkylä was built with joint effort. Volunteers are still welcome to join in, as everyone can contribute their own skills.

Incredible sights and experiences

After an interesting coffee break, we explored the yard. From a large storage, Timo pulled out a tandem bicycle. Do you notice anything unusual in the photo? On site, you can also try other quirky activities, which you can inquire about when renting the venue.

A bicycle with two handlebars pointing in different directions.

We continued along a sandy road through the forest toward the dugout, where history rustled as the door opened. The dugout’s entrance is eye-catching and inside there are many different items from wartime.

Outside we found a lean-to shelter, a smoke sauna and the Elämänkivet statue vault (stone sauna). In the smoke sauna you can enjoy the steam of a traditional smoke sauna. The long heating time and the sauna’s scent set the mood even while you’re waiting to bathe.

You can enter the stone sauna’s steam only after several hours of heating. A special feature of this sauna is the skylight and the story of the place. The statue vault was built to remind us of life’s finiteness. The story began when a local man decided to build a statue vault with as many stones as there are days in an average human life. If the average lifespan is estimated at 70 years, the vault would require 25 550 stones.

The story doesn’t say how many stones were ultimately carried into the statue vault. Everyone can try counting the stones while waiting to enter the steam. The vault gained a new life as a sauna and continues its story in this way.

The Silent Warrior memorial has been erected next to the stone sauna. Each stone cast into the monument represents a local soldier fallen in the wars. A truly impressive work, crowned by a helmet pierced by a bullet. This too has a story that only Timo and Veikko can tell.