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Founded: 1762Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Finland
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment (Finland)
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Pukkila Manor is named after the Bock family who governed the estate from 1540s until 1720s. The numerous owners of Pukkila Manor were high-ranking officials from Turku. The manor’s current main building was built by Justice Court of Appeal, Christoffer Johan Rappe (1719-1776) who later became the county governor of the Province of Turku and Pori.
The main building of Pukkila Manor was built in 1762 and represents rococo style. Parts of the manor’s original rococo interior from Rappe’s time has remained; however, most of the rooms have been arranged in the neo-classical style of the owner Rehbinder who followed Rappe. The herb garden represents Rappe’s era, and it features herbs and plants which were typical to the 18th century. Pukkila Manor was opened to the public in 1970. The manor has been furnished as a late 18th century home for a family with many children.
The manor museum is open to the public Wed-Sun in summertime. In May, end of August and September groups by previous appointment.
Reference: National Board of Antiques
The Externsteine (Extern stones) is a distinctive sandstone rock formation located in the Teutoburg Forest, near the town of Horn-Bad Meinberg. The formation is a tor consisting of several tall, narrow columns of rock which rise abruptly from the surrounding wooded hills. Archaeological excavations have yielded some Upper Paleolithic stone tools dating to about 10,700 BC from 9,600 BC.
In a popular tradition going back to an idea proposed to Hermann Hamelmann in 1564, the Externsteine are identified as a sacred site of the pagan Saxons, and the location of the Irminsul (sacral pillar-like object in German paganism) idol reportedly destroyed by Charlemagne; there is however no archaeological evidence that would confirm the site's use during the relevant period.
The stones were used as the site of a hermitage in the Middle Ages, and by at least the high medieval period were the site of a Christian chapel. The Externsteine relief is a medieval depiction of the Descent from the Cross. It remains controversial whether the site was already used for Christian worship in the 8th to early 10th centuries.
The Externsteine gained prominence when Völkisch and nationalistic scholars took an interest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This interest peaked under the Nazi regime, when the Externsteine became a focus of nazi propaganda. Today, they remain a popular tourist destination and also continue to attract Neo-Pagans and Neo-Nazis.