Villa Rana Walks are guided tours led by artists, departing from the Cultural Center Villa Rana (Seminaarinkatu 13, Jyväskylä). Three different walks explore the lives, times, and works of Wivi Lönn, Uno Cygnaeus, and Yrjö Blomstedt, who all had significant impacts on Jyväskylä’s Seminaarinmäki area.

The University of Jyväskylä's Seminaarinmäki Campus area has received the European Heritage Label for its cultural and historical significance and also highlighting the significance of the Finnish and European education system as a basis for equal and democratic society.

Uno Cygnaeus (1810-1888) was the first rector of the Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary and the founder of the Finnish-language public school system. Architect and teacher Yrjö Oskari Blomstedt, (1871-1912), was the teacher of drawing and handicrafts at the Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary. He initiated the conversion of the Taavettila barn into a museum building in the early 1900s. He encouraged students to collect ethnographic artifacts from their home regions for the museum, known at the time as the Jyväskylä Seminary's Ethnographic Museum. Today, it is known as the University of Jyväskylä's Museum of Cultural History. Wivi Lönn (1872-1966) was Finland's fifth female architect and the first woman to independently run an architectural firm. A true pioneer, Lönn significantly influenced the development of the city of Jyväskylä alongside Hanna Parviainen, Finland's first female commercial counselor. Lönn's most productive and busiest years were between 1890 and 1915. In Jyväskylä, Lönn designed several residential houses, summer villas, factory extensions, office buildings, and larger significant projects such as the Kuokkala Manor and Puistokoulu School.

The walks are created and lead by professional artists, a dancer and two actors, who bring to life the past. The walks are scheduled as following: 

– Wed 14.8.2024 at 17:00 Yrjö Blomstedt. Guided by dancer Laura Suonperä
– Sat 17.8.2024 at 14:00 Yrjö Blomstedt. Guided by dancer Laura Suonperä
– Wed 21.8.2024 at 17:00 Wivi Lönn. Guided by actress Kirsi Sulonen
– Sat 24.8.2024 at 14:00 Wivi Lönn. Guided by actress Kirsi Sulonen
– Sat 31.8.2024 at 14:00 Uno Cygnaeus – Family Walk. Guided by actor Aaro Vuotila
– Sat 7.9.2024 at 14:00 Uno Cygnaeus – Family Walk. Guided by actor Aaro Vuotila

Tickets are available for €12 / €8. The development of the cultural walks has been supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

 

Address
Seminaarinkatu 13, 40100 Jyväskylä, Finland