The Merchant House Lebell, Kristinestad

Merchant House dating from the early 18th century. Interiors from the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unique wooden house environment.

  • Open in summertime. At other times by appointment.
  • Entry fee.
  • Guided tours.
  • Cafés/restaurants close by.
STRANDGATAN 51-53, FI-64100 KRISTINESTAD, FINLAND

More information
Except for the town of Röros in Norway, Kristinestad is the only wooden town in Fenno-Scandinavia which has escaped devastating fires. The centre of Kristinestad thus represents a wooden house environment that is unique both in Finland and in Scandinavia. Within a stone's throw to the south of the market place lies the Merchant House Lebell. This museum describes the life of a merchant's family in Kristinestad more than 200 years ago.

The history of the Lebell family is colourful and exciting. The first ancestor Casimir Subkowski was a Polish prisoner of war who came to Finland in 1702. He was in a prison camp in Gamlakarleby when he met a girl from Kristinestad. They took a liking to each other, and as the bride's family had useful contacts, the prisoner was released and the two were married in 1709. Casimir Subkowski took the name Casper Lebell. The first merchant house was erected in the 1720s when Casper Lebell was granted the right to trade. The family's wealth increased with Casper Lebell Jr, who held the positions of magistrate and deputy mayor. He made a fortune from exporting tar and timber and from importing salt.

The present merchant house was built in 1762 with a tall mansard roof. In the 1850s this roof was replaced with a hipped Empire-style saddle roof.

The Merchant House Lebell has served as a museum since 1939. Over the years, interiors from the 18th and early 19th century have carefully been recovered and restored. There is even a reproduced 17th century baroque hall. The hall, with its ceiling painting and linen tapestry imitating gilt leather is unique in Finland. Exhibited here is a fine cupboard lacquered in black from Stralsund, dating from 1695. The green tiled stove is probably the oldest in Finland.

The Rococo period is represented by a chamber called the Lebell drawing-room. Among the objects displayed here are a slender card-table in intarsia and a fully gilded wall mirror.

The early 19th century, a time when the Empire style was gaining popularity, is presented in the Holmström drawing-room with its green walls and characteristic greyish-white furniture.

THE ANNEX

The adjacent whitewashed Empire-style building dating from 1842 was incorporated with the museum in 1995. The building, which has previously served as a private residence, shop and a newspaper printing works, has been restored to the original light colouring which was used in the mid-nineteenth century. Some of the rooms have been furnished with objects from the golden age of shipbuilding in the late 19th century, while the rest of the building is used for exhibitions and various functions.