Antti Farmstead, Helsinki

The Antti Farmstead is an example of buildings from the 1800s that were brought to the Seurasaari Open Air Museum from western Finland. It was added to the display in 1920. It is an example of a closed farmyard, which was a pattern in this part of the country since the middle ages. Open field division was used for farmland, but the main farm was kept close and secure. Their villages were typically built along riverbanks or waterfronts. A barnyard would also have been adjacent to the farmhouse.

One of the gems of this set of buildings is the main home, which was rebuilt after a fire in the 1820s. It has a large main room, a smaller meeting room, kitchen and two bedrooms. This so-called “twin room” design for small farm homes dates back to the Renaissance. So, the building is quite valuable as an example of that type of construction.

The main room was the center of life for the Finnish people of that time. The master bedroom would have belonged to the master. Any daughters would have slept in the second room. Cooking and baking were done in the kitchen. The rafters of this area, in their day, would have been full of dried bread, which was only baked twice a year by the people of the area. It was dried and then stored in the granary for safety. A visit to this farmhouse is a real treat for the history buff.