Ainola - The Home of Jean Sibelius

Last time I visited Ainola was in 2019. After the corona break the museum can be visited again. We visited Ainola with family and it was interesting once again. Our time table was perfect, because just after our visit a heavy thunder storm broke up with pouring rain. Now I’ll share some outdoor impressions of the charming house & surroundings.

Ainola means Chez Aino and it was the home of our national composer Jean Sibelius  (1865 - 1957) and his family - today a home museum. The pair got six daughters of whom one died as a baby. This cozy home was designed by Lars Sonck (1870-1956), a celebre architect of Art Nouveau and National Romantic styles. Located in the artist community of Lake Tuusula, Ainola was completed in 1904. 

Aino Sibelius (b. Järnefelt) was a beautiful & slender lady, but very tough. The couple lived

on a tight budget with five daughters and the garden harvest helped her to make ends meet.

This imitation of Aino's herb and vegetal garden was new invention at Ainola.

On the labels you could read what was growing in the early years of 1900.

 This is the door to Aino’s cellar where potatoes and home made jams were preserved.

Aino planned herself the sauna of Ainola. When looking at the laundry room, I don’t envy her!

Washing the linen was a tough job those days. Fortunately she had two maids.

The couple is buried on the property. The bronze grave monument is simple & impressive.

It is designed by the architect Aulis Blomstedt married to Sibelius’ youngest daughter Heidi.

Jean Sibelius died in 1957 and Aino in 1969.

This is how the sky looked when we started our drive back home.

No great thunder damages here as in the western part of Finland.

The pouring rain did so good to the garden and nature!

My 2019 visit to Ainola

Thank you for your interest, I'll share indoors photos in a later post.

❤︎❤︎❤︎

#der natur donnerstag #garden affair #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex 

#saturday’s critters #t in die neue woche #wednesday around the world