Our story – The Heart of the Forest
- JUUPAJOKI
- KEURUU
- MÄNTTÄ-VILPPULA
- RUOVESI
- VIRRAT
The ice shaped the cliffs, set the boulders in place, and left behind ravines and rugged landscapes. It crafted the rocky forests, the jagged lands of northern Pirkanmaa, forming deep ravines and creating springs in the wooded hills, which still bubble with pure water. This land took shape, along with its places, rivers and lakes, whose evocative names tell their own stories. Here you will find, for example, Hell’s Gorge, the cliffs of Toriseva, and the ravine lakes.
The Ice Age left behind a land of rocky green gold, a reflection of the resilient and delicate nature of the people who call this place home. The forest lives in the hearts of the locals in many different ways. We are people of the forest’s golden wealth, living in the midst of it, surrounded by hospitality that is as soft as moss, filled with the scent of pine trees and the sweetness of spruce shoots.
We hike, we wander forest paths, sit on mossy mounds, and lie on the soft carpet of moss. In spring, we follow the birds as they build their nests in the woods. We embrace trees, watch the clouds above the treetops, and the way the summer sun filters through the branches. In autumn, we gather berries, mushrooms, and other offerings of the forest. In winter, we ski along the tracks of elk. Long ago, we made soft beds from moss, built homes in the forest that also served as saunas. We have rooted ourselves deeply in this woodland land. We make songs, poems, paintings, and stories. We create them from the forest’s gold, from the hearts of the Finnish people.
Artists and creative souls have always found inspiration here. They have sought answers from the heart of the forest. How do I depict Finnishness? How do I capture a person’s morning, day, and evening? How do I immortalize the landscapes for future generations to admire? From the forest, people have created their livelihoods. The art patron Serlachius built a paper mill here. Many of our national artists visited Mänttä, including Gallen-Kallela, who was also known as the patron’s good friend.
Our forest is pure, safe, and fresh. It’s the spruces, pines, and birches that thrive in the northern climate. The forest here is seen as well-being, food, and experiences. Here you can enter the heart of the Finnish forest, experiencing it in its many forms. You’ll learn what the forest means to us Finns. We move through the forest in every season. And we want to show you how it’s done. Our forest strongly reflects the changing seasons. It teaches us about life, entertains and calms us, and makes us creative and healthy.
The forest is our home: come walk with us to the Heart of the Forest, to the very core of Finnishness.
