Hakasalmi Villa
The Hakasalmi Villa was built in 1843 by the procurator and
privy counsellor Carl Johan Walleen as a combined city and
country residence. The architect was E.B. Lohrmann of Berlin.
Two wings were added to the front of the main building a little
later. One of these presently houses a cafe.
The villa's best-known resident was Aurora Karamzin, Walleen's
step-daughter. Aurora Karamzin was a famous beauty and a lady
in waiting to the Russian empress in St. Petersburg. Her first
husband, Paul Demidov, was one of the richest men in Russia.
After the death of her second husband, Colonel Andrei Karamzin,
she withdrew from court life in St. Petersburg and moved to
Helsinki. She used the wealth she had inherited from Demidov
to conduct charity work and was an influential social figure
in 19th century Finland.
Aurora Karamzin sold the Hakasalmi Villa to the City of Helsinki
in 1896 but continued to live there until her death in 1902.
The villa was then rented to the predecessor of the National
Museum of Finland for exhibition use. Since 1912 it has been
part of the City Museum. It houses changing exhibitions on
the history of Helsinki
http://http://www.hel.fi/kaumuseo/
Photographs:
- Photographer: Mika Lappalainen, Helsinki City Information
Office.
- The Hakasalmi Villa was formerly painted yellow.
Photo: Helsinki City Museum's photo archives
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