Elomäki: Historic Farmsteads and Nature Nearby

If you are looking for a hotel in Elomäki, local and nearby attractions can help shape your choice of destination. In Elomäki itself, Puukari School provides a specific historical point of reference. Nearby, traditional farmsteads, a rapid and routes for different activities offer more to explore. When planning, you can focus on the themes that interest you most.

Historic Farmsteads and Building Styles

Puukari School in Elomäki was built in 1924. Nearby, Murtovaara and Yläpihan Tila offer further insights into building history, each with its own character. The Murtovaara farmstead consists of 16 traditionally built wooden buildings. The roofs are also made of birch bark, a material commonly used up to the 19th century. The Murtovaara House Museum is a former Crown forester’s farmstead and Finland’s only museum of a Vaara settlement. It offers a glimpse into the life of a family of forest rangers.

An approximately half-kilometre walking path through the forest leads to the Murtovaara House Museum. At the traditional eastern Finnish farmstead, views open out over the surrounding meadows. Here, the building style, the walk through the forest and the views are all part of the experience. Seasonal opening arrangements apply; check the dates before your trip.

Yläpihan Tila is an old family farmstead in the Valtimo area. The Häkkinen family officially took it over in 1754; the farmstead’s buildings date from four different centuries. Visitors can learn about rural building styles dating back to the 18th century. The traditional farmstead also has a local history museum. It also includes a flea market and a farm shop. The historical details refer to different things: 1754 marks the family’s official takeover, while the four centuries span the buildings’ history.

Yläpihan Tila’s summer café serves coffee, tea, cocoa, non-alcoholic refreshments and homemade pastries. As it is a seasonal café, check the current season dates before visiting. This lets you appreciate the farmstead both for its historic building styles and its seasonal offerings, without confusing the two.

Rapids, Forest Path and Routes

Kalliokoski is a two-part rapid that rushes steeply over a rock ledge. It is considered a well-known rapids attraction and Valtimo’s most beautiful rapid. The water offers a different landscape theme from the historic farmsteads: the focus here is on the shape of the rapid and its course over the rock ledge.

The routes also offer different scales for planning. The walking path to Murtovaara farmstead is approximately half a kilometre long. The Valtimo area also has versatile multi-use routes for different ability levels, which can be used for walking and cycling in summer. The two descriptions refer to different things: a specified walking path to a farmstead and a network of routes with several types of use. They do not provide a specific walking or cycling time.

A particular cycling route passes through Yläpihan Tila farmstead: the Visit Karelia route from Peurajärvi to Ylä-Valtimo. If you include this route in your plans, check its current alignment and signage before setting out, as maintenance and waymarking can change. The named endpoints and the route through the farmstead help distinguish it from the multi-use routes in the Valtimo area.

Other Points of Interest

Another cultural point of interest nearby is the Orthodox Chapel of St John the Baptist, also known as Elomäen tsasouna. It is associated with Valtimo. Together with Puukari School, the farmsteads and Kalliokoski, it offers a range of themes for a stay: a building date in Elomäki itself, historic farmsteads nearby, and a rapid and routes in the Valtimo area. Which of these matters most to your travel plans depends on whether you are more interested in building history, landscapes or outdoor activities.

Discover more destinations: Kiihtelysvaara, Tohmajärvi, Kontiolahti, Liperi, Säyneinen, Ketsu, Kesälahti, Rääkkylä.

For the broader travel overview: North Karelia.