Veteli Local Heritage Museum

Torpantie 181 Veteli

Ilmari Wirkkala served in the 1930s as the executive manager of a graveyard association, Hautausmaiden ystävät ry, in Helsinki. He got to know Finnish parishes, churches and graveyards very well. Together with writer Maila Talvio, he worked hard for the maintenance of Finnish graveyards.

In Veteli, the municipality neighbouring Kaustinen, Ilmari designed a granite monument for the soldiers from Veteli fallen in 1918. In 1932, the multi-talented Ilmari began to work as an architect and designed a local heritage museum in the municipality, one that followed the layout of the second church in Veteli.

In designing the museum building, he wanted to follow old building traditions as much as possible. He designed several buildings and small-scale structures for parishes, such as graveyard chapels, mortuaries and gates. His largest design job was the graveyard and chapel of Lappee in Lappeenranta.