Every design for Ähtäri

At the Eero Hiirosen Veistospuisto the sculptures stand among the trees, the work of Eero Hiironen, a sculptor and painter counted among Ähtäri's own. That is fitting for a town people tend to carry with them. Ähtäri lies in South Ostrobothnia on the edge of the Pirkanmaa lakes, and Ähtärinjärvi, the largest lake in the area, links it to the waterways further south.

What sets the town apart is its zoo, the reason many Finns first came here as children, and the hotel Mesikämmen beside it, designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and partly cut into the bedrock. Yet everyday Ähtäri is just as much about work: Vääräkosken Pahvi, a small and long-established board mill, and boat maker Silver-Veneet keep the town busy. A railbus runs along the line between Seinäjoki and Jyväskylä, and the hills of Ilomäki and Mustikkavuori rise above the lake.

Ähtärin kotiseutumuseo keeps the older story of farmers who cleared these fields, and the Talvisotaan lähdön muistomerkki marks the day men left for the Winter War. If you grew up here, you will know exactly where your own house sits between the lake and the hills.