AT THE COMMUNITY HALLS

A community hall (seurantalo) is a collective term for buildings constructed by various associations as meeting places. There are approximately 2,500 community halls in Finland, the oldest of which were built in the 1880s. Construction was at its peak in the early 1900s. About a quarter of the current community halls are classified as buildings of cultural and historical value. Community halls were often named after nature, an ideology, the importance of celebration, the Kalevala, or Finnish national spirit.

Welcome to the community halls

A community hall (seurantalo) is a collective term for buildings constructed by various associations as meeting places. There are approximately 2,500 community halls in Finland, the oldest of which were built in the 1880s. Construction was at its peak in the early 1900s. About a quarter of the current community halls are classified as buildings of cultural and historical value. Community halls were often named after nature, an ideology, the importance of celebration, the Kalevala, or Finnish national spirit.

There are community halls of all sizes: from cabins of a few dozen square metres to stone houses of thousands of square metres. The oldest community halls were usually built from logs using traditional construction methods. Most are more practical than beautiful, but even the most modest houses display characteristics of the architectural heritage of their time. In city centres, community halls were provided with a decorative exterior cladding, while in rural areas the log surface could be left uncovered.

At the beginning of the 20th century, an arrangement entailing a lobby, a ballroom with a high stage and a restaurant with a kitchen was established as the layout of a community hall. The main space and heart of a community hall is the ballroom. The facilities offered citizens of all ages the opportunity to participate in social discussion, theatre and music activities, and sports. Temperance work also took place on the premises.

Theatre flats as depictions of the local area

As the theatre hobby spread to rural areas and small towns in the early 20th century, community halls became the place for plays. The theatre flat paintings highlighted the Finnish countryside, such as forests, lake landscapes and cottages. They were equally important whether the scene was painted by a well-known artist or an unknown amateur.

The display case exhibits the decommissioned sets of the Salo-Miehikkälä Community Hall. On the back of them is the signature E. Kokki -50.