WJ Tested: Mustio Manor – Discovering Finland’s Historical Properties
Mustio Manor in Finland
WJ Tested – WAVEJourney Visits Mustio Manor – Discovering Finland’s Historical Properties
Arriving in Finland for the very first time, we really didn’t have any clue what we would find in this Scandinavian country of endless forests, lakes, and remote islands. But within a couple of hours of arriving at Helsinki International Airport and picking up our rental car, we soon discovered that this is a land of many diverse and exciting contrasts.
Europcar
Our first adventure after collecting a rental car from Europcar, was to drive about 80 km west of Helsinki to one of the country’s largest private historical parks – which is also home to Mustio Manor.
Within the park grounds, the impressive wooden Manor House (now a museum) is a fine example of architecture representing the transition period from rococo to neoclassicism.
Designed by two well-known architects, a Swede, Erik Palmstedt, and a Finn, Christian Schroder, Mustio Manor as it is known in English (Svartå Manor in Swedish, and Mustion Linna in Finnish), has now been restored to its original state and visitors are able to tour the museum with one of the very knowledgeable local guides.
Mustio Manor Guided Tour
We were fortunate enough to take a private tour with Justine, a guide that has been working at the brightly painted Manor House for 20 years. For a full hour Justine regaled us with all sorts of juicy tidbits of information surrounding the history of this elegant house.
Mustio Manor Interior
During our tour we learned that construction of the Manor House had started in 1783 and was completed almost 10 years later in 1792. The house was owned by the Linder family for almost 200 years before being sold in 1940 to a private company, and once again in 1985 the Manor House once again became the property of the Linder family when it was purchased by Magnus Linder.
Mustio Manor Buildings
Throughout the park grounds are a number of buildings, each with their own history, unique design, and current day purpose. Some of these buildings are now hotel accommodations and home to a restaurant where hotel and park guests are able to enjoy delicious local dining.
Shingle House Guestroom
We stayed in one of nine rooms in the building called “Shingle House”, which is wrapped in red wooden shingles. Our guestroom was well-equipped, very clean and quite big. It featured two twin beds, TV, spacious bathroom, and was about a 7-minute walk through the park grounds to the restaurant and reception. Although we didn’t have time to use it, hotel guests may use the sauna – a huge part of Finnish culture.
Slottskrogen Restaurant at Mustio Manor
During our stay we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in a former coach house, the atmospheric restaurant “Slottskrogen”, which means Castle Inn in Swedish – both Swedish and Finnish languages are used in this area of the country. The neo-gothic coach house building dates back to the mid-1800s, and features a covered summer terrace that overlooks the lake.
Local Beer – Malmgard Dinkel
Chef Niko Touminen’s creativity shone through with each course of the set dinner menu we devoured. Fresh local ingredients, a pleasing presentation, and delicate flavors made for a heavenly first meal in Finland.
Goat Cheese and Tomato Salad
We started with an appetizer of local tomatoes (sun-dried and fresh), with goat cheese, herbs and croutons.
Grilled Smoked Salmon with Vegetables and New Potatoes
Next we enjoyed a main course of grilled smoked salmon served with vegetables and new potatoes.
Dessert – Fresh Strawberries
Dessert was marinated fresh local strawberries with a pistachio crumble. Divine!
The following morning we again dined at Slottskrogen, where we chose from a variety of hot and cold breakfast items on the self-serve buffet, and excellent coffee.
The serenity and tranquility of the scenic countryside which surrounds this historical property was ideal for relaxing, feeling one with nature, and made for an ideal setting for our first night in Finland.
Our only regret was that we only had time to spend one night at this wonderful hotel – we certainly could have spent a few nights just enjoying the property and nearby area.
If You Go:
Read More About WAVEJourney’s 2012 Adventures in Finland:
– WAVEJourney Travel Tips: Discover Finland
– Adventures in Finland’s Archipelago
