Pietarsaari lukio

During the trip to Finland I had many great experiences and saw many great things. One of them witch sticks out was Pietarsaari lukio, school of finnish and swedish students, where most of the program took place in. It was really interesting to see in what environment people in other countries study. I was very impressed by what I've seen. The whole school was so modern and cozy. I liked the set up of the classrooms, it was interesting to see the schools library, the whole place seemed to be so spacious and relaxing. I especially liked the cafeteria, because of this huge glass wall that opened up an impressive scenery to the beautiful school park. It was very nice and I enjoyed visiting the Pietarsaari lukio.

Tadas Jakubauskas

Pedersöre church

1.-  Pedersöre church in Pietarsaari (Finland)

2.- It is one of the  oldest  medieval churches in Ostrobothnia surrounded by a beautiful white snow scenery.

3.- The present stone church was built between 1510-1520 but it was modified to cross shape in 1787-1795 by famous church builder Jakob Rijf. Pedersöre Church was damaged badly by fire in 1986. It was supposed to be an arson, but any suspects were never found. It dates back to 13th century. During its history, the look of the church has varied a lot. The first small building was probably a small chapel built of stone or perhaps wood.  

4.- Above the main entrance we see the inscription 1250. This date is based on historical writings which are rather late and unverifiable.
The church was severely damaged during the Great Northern War in the beginning of the 18th century. As the population in the area grew the church became too small and crowded. After much consideration and careful planning, renovation into a cruciform church was begun in 1787. 

5.- The church itself also was used as a graveyard. The low buildings on both sides of the bell tower were erected in 1803.They served as "winter graves" or temporary graves during the winter time when the ground was frozen.  It was a place for depositing fragments of earlier buried people. Over the centuries the graveyard has been reused several times.

 6.- It looks like these type of Northern European churches. It looks humble from the outside but surely very warm in the inside. I like these types of churches with a high steeple.

 7.- It gave me peace and solace. The day I visited it was snowing and I was eager to lie on the snow and play like a kid. 

Núria Gonzalo

The City Of Jakobstad – Pietarsaari

This town was found in 1652 by Ebba Brahe.  Since Ebba Brahe was a Swedish countess, landowner and courtier almost a half of city’s population are Swedish people, but it’s important to emphasize the fact, that the region belongs to Finland. Nobody can deny that it’s amazing how two cultures can live together so peacefully.

Pietarssari is a small, quiet town.  However, it has a lot of old buildings and marvelous streets, which create a very pleasant atmosphere. It seems that every building is unique and hide its own history. The city looks especially great in winter, when paths and rooftops are covered in snow.

My first impression was magnificent. I really enjoyed the spirit of the city. This township has not only beautiful nature but it also can offer various kinds of entertainment. There is a huge cinema in the heart of the city, where people often choose to spend their free-time and also, there is a place, where everyone can play hockey or ice-skate for free.

Laura Gaudutytė

Nanoq

Nanoq is a museum in Finland, specializing on arctic culture and Greenland in particular. This museum consist not only of galleries and exhibitions but there is also a real arctic village with small shelters and a church. Nanoq host an exhibitions about famous polar expeditioners, such as Fridtjof Nansen, John Phipps or Roald Amundsen and also displays many items.

The museum is quite large and unusual.  It’s located in the woods, near a city called Pietarsaari. A lot of small shelters and houses stands through Nanoq area, where people can go in and see how arctic people used to live.

Personally, I think this museum is quite extraordinary. Since, I haven’t seen anything like that before. It was an incredible experience.

Laura Gaudutytė

Streets of Pietarsaari.

1- There are rows and rows of line up little houses as if it were a village taken out of a fairy tale. Most of the houses are made of wood but other are made of concrete or bricks. Some are new but others are quite old. They look functional.

2- Most of them look from the 18^th and 19^th century. Some probably older.

3- They look like a fishing village in the north. In fact Pietarsaari it is on the North coast of Finland slopping west.

4- The picture on the photograph shows a peaceful street covered by snow on a winter day of February, minus 20 degrees Centigrade. There is nobody in the street because of the chilly temperature.

5- It was difficult for me to stroll along the streets in such cold days but it was amazingly beautiful and distressful. However, people were very friendly and we received a warmly welcome.

6- It’s been a wonderful experience since I had never experienced such thing before. I would repeat it, of course.

Núria Gonzalo