Pertinotsa House, Helsinki

Among the many attractions found in the Seurasaari Museum, there is one truly massive, especially if measured against the surrounding “Chimneyless Cabins.” It is called the Pertinotsa House and is a North Russian-type of dwelling.

Built in 1884, the house was brought to the museum in the summer of 1939 from Suojärvi. This former part of Eastern Finland once bordered Russia's Karelia region and was heavily influenced by Russian traditions. It was lost to the Soviet Union after World War II.

Still in a habitable condition when transferred, the house belonged to Spirdo Makkonen, who lived in it with a large family. Typically for North Russia, the building has two floors and is designed to accommodate people and livestock under one roof. Half of the ground floor is a windowless warehouse space. The other half is given to the cattle barns, with the hay lofts above them. The animal sheds could be accessed from the residential side upstairs via the hay shelter.

The family's living quarters on the upper floors include the main room (Finnish: “Pirtti”) and the guest room (Russian: “Gornitsa”). Beneath them is the pantry. The icon in the stern corner of the main room tells about the orthodox religion of the residents. The oven with a log frame at the door of Pirtti was heated daily, as Karelia was quite used to eating soft bread and a variety of pies and oven dishes.