Welcome to the Wirkkala artist path
The Wirkkala family has its roots in Kaustinen. Already in the 1800s, the family was well known for its craftsmanship in various areas.
This story begins in a house known as Kraatari, where artist Ilmari Wirkkala was born in 1890. We will get to know his home, which is presently a museum, and catch a glimpse of Ilmari’s early years. We will also visit the Kaustinen Folk Arts Centre to see the triptych Wirkkala painted as an 18-year-old student.
From Kaustinen we will continue to Veteli. There we will find the local heritage museum designed by Ilmari Wirkkala, according to the shape of the old church of Veteli. Our next destination is the Veteli graveyard, where we will see the monuments for fallen soldiers designed by Ilmari and his son Tapio Wirkkala. Near the bell-tower stands the Raivaaja (settler) statue by Tapio Wirkkala, looking out over the open field in the traditional landscape of the river valley.
From there we proceed to the church of Perho, where we will find Ilmari Wirkkala’s affecting altarpiece Erämaan Kristus (Christ in the Wilderness).
We will return to Kaustinen via the villages of Tunkkari and Järvelä, along the northern riverside of the Perhonjoki. On our way, we will pass a village milieu in which the Wirkkala family is known to have lived already in 1549.
In the graveyard of Kaustinen, we can stop at the monument for fallen soldiers. Next to it stands the monument to the Kuorikoski church builder family, which Ilmari Wirkkala designed in 1939.
We end our tour on the Wirkkala artist path in front of the parish centre, in the Kreetan puisto park. A granite statue designed by Ilmari Wirkkala was erected here for the beloved folk musician Kreeta Haapasalo in 1954. The monument was made by Ilmari’s younger son, artist Tauno Wirkkala.
Welcome to the Wirkkala artist path!
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