Keuruu Old Church, Keuruu, Finland

The wooden Old Church of Keuruu was built between 1756-1759. It’s very beautiful and well-preserved sample of the wooden church architecture in 18th century. The church was built by Antti Hakola. The original altarpiece was painted by Johan Backman in 1750s or 1760s. Now it’s moved to the National Museum in Helsinki and there’s a copy in the church.

Address

Vanhankirkontie 12, Keuruu, Finland

See all sites in Keuruu

Details

Founded: 1756-1759
Category: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment (Finland)

More Information

finnish-churches.blogspot.com
www.avoinmuseo.fi

Rating

3.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Petäjävesi Old Church (24,5 km)
Serlachius Museums (26,1 km)
Kuorevesi Church (35,9 km)
Pihlajavesi Wilderness Church (21,7 km)

User Reviews

Risto Kurki (43 days ago)
Kaunis kirkko.

Orava (50 days ago)
Kiva

Kari Kangas (5 months ago)
Keuruun vanha kirkko rakennettiin vuosina 1756–59. Sen erikoisuuksiin kuuluvat peittämättöminä säilyneet seinämaalaukset. Vuoteen 1780 asti Keuruun vanha kirkko oli kuitenkin maalaamaton. Suurimman osan maalauksista on maalannut koristemaalari Johan Tilén, joka työskenteli Keuruulla vuosina 1782-1786. Hänen töitään ovat lehtereiden kaiteet lukuun ottamatta etelälehteriä, saarnastuolin peilit, kattoholvit ja seinät. Pysäköintitilaa on niukanlaisesti, mutta tapahtumien ulkopuolella varmaan riittävästi. Paikalla on opas, joka ainakin kesällä 2018 oli aktiivinen, mutta varsinaista opastusta ei ollut eikä mitään esittelylehtistäkään. Mielestäni maksulliseen, näinkin merkittävään kohteeseen kuuluísi automaattisesti opastus.

Marko M (7 months ago)
Keuruun vanha kirkko on puukirkko, joka toimii nykyisin museokirkkona (eli sinne on maksettava pääsymaksu). Kirkkosalissa on kuitenkin upeita maalauksia, sakastissa jonkin verran kirkon historiaan liittyvää esineistöä (mm. edeltävän kirkon alttari) ja paljon muuta nähtävää. Guides speak english too.

Pekka Niskanen (7 months ago)
Hieno vanha kirkko, aikakapseli menneeseen.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright trekkpics

Historic Site of the week

Decin Castle

Perched atop its cliff where the Ploučnice meets the Elbe, Děčín Castle is one of the oldest and largest landmarks in northern Bohemia. In the past several hundred years it has served as a point of control for the Bohemian princes, a military fortress, and noble estate.

The forerunner of the Děčín Castle was a wooden fortress built towards the end of the 10th century by the Bohemian princes. The first written record of the province dates from 993 A.D. and of the fortress itself from 1128. In the thirteenth century it was rebuilt in stone as a royal castle that, under unknown circumstances, fell into the hands of the powerful Wartenberg dynasty around 1305.

Numerous later renovations has erased all but fragments of the original medieval semblance of the castle. A significant change to the castle came in the second half of the 16th century when it was held by the Saxon Knights of Bünau, who gradually rebuilt the lower castle into a Renaissance palace with a grand ceremonial hall. The current semblance of the castle is the work of the Thun-Hohensteins, who held the Děčín lands from 1628 to 1932. The Thuns originally came from southern Tyrol and gradually worked their way to the upper echelons of Hapsburg society where they regularly filled important political and church appointments.

The Thuns reworked the castle twice. The first reconstruction, in the Baroque style, was undertaken by Maximilian von Thun, Imperial envoy and diplomat, and was meant to enhance the ceremonial aspects of the property. A central element of the project was a grand access road, the Long Drive, ending in the upper gate of the completely rebuilt entry wing. Along the drive stretched an ornamental garden (today known as the Rose Garden) and a riding yard. Maximilian’s brother Johann Ernst von Thun was responsible for the erection of the Church of the Ascension of the Holy Cross in the town below.

The second and final reconstruction of the castle was undertaken in 1786–1803. The Gothic and Renaissance palaces were torn down, all structures were leveled to the same height and gave them a unified facade. On the riverfront the castle's new dominant feature arose, a slender clock tower. Thus the castle took on the Baroque-Classical style we see today.

In the course of the 19th century, the castle became an important cultural and political center. In the 20th century the castle was used as a military garrison for German and Soviet troops after being handed to the Czechoslovak state in 1932. In 1991 the castle reverted to the ownership of the city of Děčín and the gradual renovation of the devastated structure began.

The eastern wing serves as a branch of the Děčín Regional Museum. The northern wing is occupied by the State District Archives. The staterooms of the western wing welcome individual and group tours, weddings, concerts, exhibits, and other cultural events. The castle courtyard comes to life throughout the year with events ranging from the Historic May Fair to the Wine Festival in September.

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Keuruu Old Church