Peräseinäjoki: Nature, Museums and Church Architecture

Peräseinäjoki offers a range of options for a trip: at Kalajärvi, the lake, nature and outdoor activities take centre stage; museums and the church offer insights into regional architectural and migration history. Whether you are looking for outdoor activities or historic places, you will find a variety of themes here to help plan your trip.

Cycling, Hiking and Winter at Kalajärvi

Kalajärvi in Peräseinäjoki offers picturesque lake scenery, nature and opportunities for outdoor activities. A marked cycling route runs around the lake. It is 22 kilometres long and follows gravel and paved roads. In winter, a lit skating track is set up in the forest near Kalajärvi. This means that both a cycling loop and an explicitly winter activity are among the options associated with the lake.

The signposted Seinäjoki hiking trail covers a different scale: at about 170 kilometres, it runs from Ylistaro to Peräseinäjoki. There is no set starting or finishing point; you can start anywhere along the route. Compared with the 22-kilometre cycling loop at Kalajärvi, it is a much longer hiking route with flexible access points. This distinguishes the two routes both in terms of how you travel and their length.

Open-Air Museums and Migration Stories

The three-hectare open-air museum and visitor attraction Maailman Raitti is located on the shore of Kalajärvi in Peräseinäjoki. Its buildings tell different stories. The Unkuri House is an aspen log house that Matti Unkuri had built in Bugene in 1879 for his family. Unkuri had been deported to Siberia. Today, the house is presented in its original appearance. Another architectural story leads to Ingham in Queensland, Australia: Maailman Raitti displays accommodation made of corrugated iron for workers on a sugar cane farm, originally located there. The building was constructed in the 1920s and remained in use into the 1960s. The two buildings represent very different ways of life and work.

The Peräseinäjoki Riihimuseo traces the development of Peräseinäjoki from the past to the present, but is currently closed. The old threshing barn displays objects used for grain processing in the past, as well as old tools and agricultural machinery. This collection focus differs from the migration stories told at the Siirtolaisuusmuseo’s open-air museum in Peräseinäjoki. There, four residential buildings come from different parts of the world. The Knuuttila House was brought to Finland from the village of New Finland in Saskatchewan. Its oldest section dates from 1893, and the original interior has been preserved. Visitors can enter the Siirtolaisuusmuseo buildings during the museum’s opening hours; they contain authentic objects and furnishings. Check the current opening hours before your visit.

Church Architecture and a Votive Ship

The present-day church of Peräseinäjoki is the parish’s second church and was completed in 1892. It is named Pyhän Paavalin kirkko. Provincial architect Ivar Aminoff designed the building, which was constructed by master builder Juho Karjalahti from Haapajärvi. The church is a wooden cross-shaped church with three galleries. The term “cross-shaped church” refers to the shape of the church building; the galleries are another described feature of its interior. The sacristy houses a votive ship, a donated model of a sailing ship, made in the late 19th century. Such votive ships are rare in an inland church.

Discover more destinations: Lehtimäki, Ojutkangas, Alajärvi, Karijoki, Ähtäri, Länsikylä, Lapua, Alavus.

For the main travel overview: South Ostrobothnia.