The Alvar Aalto’s boat, a new attraction at the Jyväskylä Harbour – the grand opening, open to the public, will be celebrated on 17.5.

The opening programme starts at Satamankärki on 17 May, at 14:00, with an opening speech by Mayor Timo Koivisto.

The event will also include a greeting from the Alvar Aalto Foundation and speeches from city architect, Leila Strömberg, and Tourism Director of Visit Jyväskylä Region, Susanne Rasmuk.

The ceremony ends with a music performance. Admission to the event is free.

The unique boat reaches its worthy place in the Jyväskylä Harbour

In recent years, in the rapid renewal process of the Jyväskylä Harbour, now Aalto's unique boat is in a parade place by the water. The Alvar Aalto motorboat that he designed for himself in the 1950s, will be accompanied by a miniature exhibition by the Alvar Aalto Museum. As a new free-entry Aalto's outdoor destination, the boat is expected to become more popular in terms of tourism among the large number of Aalto destinations in Jyväskylä.

Aalto designed the boat for transportation to his summer villa in Säynätsalo, the Muuratsalo Experimental House (1952-54). The architect devoted himself to the task and the result was a wooden boat about 10 meters long and 2.5 meters wide. The boat was built in Säynätsalo in 1954-55 by local boat sculptor Lauri Kosola and axeman Väinö Jokinen. The boat was named Nemo Propheta In Patria (Nobody is a prophet in its own country).

Alvar and Elissa Aalto traveled by boat for the summer to their experimental house located on the island of Päijänne in the 1950s and 1970s. The boat belongs to the design collection of the Alvar Aalto Foundation and has been restored by restoring the exterior surfaces and fixed furnishings and conserving the original parts.

- The shelter conditions built for the boat aim to secure the preservation of the cultural-historical boat in the future as well. With the new location, the boat can be seen by the public more widely than before, says Alvar Aalto Foundation CEO, Tommi Lindh.

The boat shelter was designed by Sweco with architect SAFA Tapani Tommila as the main designer, and VRJ Keski-Suomi was responsible for the construction work. The design of the terrace surrounding the boat shelter and the rest of the top of the harbor was done by WSP.

The Jyväskylä Harbour is developing in favor of city residents and tourists

The Jyväskylä Harbour has been developed in recent years in accordance with the city's goals as a pleasant place to stay for city residents and guests visiting the city. The park areas designed for recreation and exercise and the connection to Lutakonaukio were completed a few years ago. The beach's restaurant and entertainment options have expanded year by year. The area has been used as a living space for Jyväskylä people and a home for events such as the Finnish rally championship, the SuomiPop festival, and other cultural, fair, sports, and market events.

The sauna and restaurant, Sataman Viilu, was completed for summer 2022, and now the shelter for Alvar Aalto's boat, Nemo Propheta In Patria. The top of the Harbour (Satamankärki), located at the foot of the Kuokkala bridge, will continue to be finished in the coming years. In the summer of 2024, two more roofs will be built, where the seasonal public and private services of the port will be placed, and after finishing works on the environment, the new port will be ready in its entirety by the summer of 2025.

The continuation of Alvar Aalto's 125th anniversary will be on 27.5. at the opening of the Aalto2 museum center in Jyväskylä

Aalto's anniversary celebration continues in Jyväskylä at the end of May on 27.5. At the grand opening of the new Aalto2 museum center in Ruusupuisto. The Aalto2 museum center combines the architecture and design of Alvar Aalto and the cultural heritage of Central Finland. Aalto2's wide range of exhibitions, events, and services fulfill Alvar Aalto's wish for a common forum for different art fields.

The museum center consists of two buildings designed by Alvar Aalto, the Alvar Aalto Museum (1971-73, 2023) and the Museum of Central Finland (1956-61, 1991, 2019) and the new part in between them (2023). The Museum Center's joint exhibition program opens with the " Ihmisen jäljet - maailmanperintöä / Human Traces - World Heritage" exhibition, which presents the diversity of built heritage and cultural heritage.

The museum center also features the Alvar Aalto Museum's renewed permanent exhibition "AALTO - Work and Life" and the Central Finland Museum's permanent exhibition "Exploring Central Finland". After the opening, there will be events for different target groups in addition to the exhibitions. The premises of the Museum Center will also serve a renewed museum shop and a restaurant.

More information:

Nemo propheta in patria -vene
Aalto2-museokeskus

About boat protection and the construction of the harbor area:
City of Jyväskylä, Project manager, Ora Nuutinen, tel. 040 195 5534, ora.nuutinen [a] jyvaskyla.fi

About the boat and the Aalto2 museum center:
Alvar Aalto Foundation, Superintendent, Katariina Pakoma, tel. 040 084 9315, katariina.pakoma [a] alvaraalto.fi
Alvar Aalto Foundation, Communications Manager, Mirkka Vidgrén, tel. 040 168 5142, mirkka.vidgren [a] alvaraalto.fi

Keywords:

Alvar Aalto