Open-air museum including a tannery, presenting the production of leather goods characteristic of the region. The parsonage of Anders Chydenius (1729-1803) lies next to the museum area. Chydenius, vicar and Member of Parliament, presented the fundamental ideas of economic liberalism in 1765 - 11 years earlier than the Scotsman Adam Smith, considered the "father of economic liberalism".

• Open in summertime. At other times by appointment.
• Entry fee.
• Guided tours.
• Refreshments available upon reservation.

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The Kaarlela Local Museum is situated in a well-preserved cultural environment. Adjacent to the museum lies the parsonage, dating from about 1730, the oldest parsonage in use in Finland today.

The building of the parsonage was initiated by vicar K.G. Werander, and came to serve as a model for many middle-class buildings in the town of Gamlakarleby (later Karleby/Kokkola).

The whitewashed stone building opposite the parsonage was erected in the 1770s by vicar Anders Chydenius. It contained rooms for baking.

The Kaarlela Local Museum was founded in 1939. The baking rooms were then furnished as a peasant's cottage, and a room commemorating Anders Chydenius was also included. These interiors have been kept until the present day, and can now be considered a "museum in the museum".

THE LOCAL MUSEUM

The museum area includes 11 buildings. From the 1960s onwards, the buildings have been relocated from villages in Kokkola. They were all built in the 19th century.

The yellow colour of the main building represents the Empire style. Town houses were often painted with light-coloured oil-paint in the Empire style period of the early 19th century. These influences also spread to the countryside.

It was not only the demand for a fashionable exterior that brought about the use of light oil-paint. Buildings with planed boards were better protected by oil-paint than by the traditional reddle.

The main building is furnished as an Ostrobothnian peasant home of the 19th century. The parlour is decorated as a wedding hall. All of the walls and the ceiling are covered with "fringed sheets" and ornaments. There are also many big mirrors on the walls. There is a saying in the region that at least 30 mirrors were needed in a real wedding hall! The layout of the museum area is that of an enclosed farmyard.

THE TANNERY

For centuries, the tanning of hides and production of leather goods have been important industries for the Kokkola region. The museum tannery illustrates how the hides were processed, as they were soaked in large baths of tanning agent. There is also a workshop for producing items such as gloves and combs for carding wool.

ANDERS CHYDENIUS

Anders Chydenius (1729-1803), was a man of distinction in the history of Finland. He served as vicar in Gamlakarleby from 1770 until his death. Anders Chydenius was a very versatile social reformer.

He attempted to improve the living conditions of his parishioners by keenly promoting more efficient cultivation methods and breeding, as well as vaccination against smallpox.

Anders Chydenius was a Member of Parliament of the clergy estate on several occasions. As an MP he was able to realise staple rights for the towns on the Bothnian coast in 1765.

In the same year, he published his book Den nationale vinsten ("The national profit"). The book presents the fundamental ideas of economic liberalism.

Not until 11 years later did the Scotsman Adam Smith present similar ideas in his The Wealth of Nations, a book which came to have a great impact on the economic development of the Western world.