Säynätsalo

Lake Päijänne is the deepest and (after Saimaa) the second-largest lake in FInland. At its north end is the city of Jyväskylä, the capitol of central Finland. Some 20 km south of the city is the island of Säynätsalo, famous for its civic center (Alvar Aalto, 1951).

Since 1993 Säynätsalo has in fact been a part of the city of Jyväskylä. According to the staff of the civic cnter, the town council still meets about ten times a year, but its role is strictly advisory, as all binding decisions (including all budget matters) are handled in Jyväskylä.

The civic center includes two guest rooms facing the courtyard, so I was able to stay in the building itself for two nights. Although they share bath and toilet facilties, at 40 € per night the price is hard to beat. In fact, there isn't anywhere else to stay on Säynätsalo.

The town of Säynätsalo occupies essentially the entire island. A few service buildings are scattered about the middle of the island, inside the Parviaisentie ring road, and the mills (mostly mothballed) are at the south, near the Louhunsalmi bridge to Lehtisaari. I'm not the only one to have noticed that there really isn't a well-defined town center...

Single-family residences make up the great majority of the building stock. Almost every yard contains one or more apple trees, and the smell of apples is prevalent.

(posted 22 September)