ABOUT US
Love of old houses and fascinating stories is a driving force for us. At the Kosola House, we also want to offer our guests experiences that have a meaning and purpose. We value sustainability and naturalness, authenticity and robustness, the local way of life, and the vitality of the countryside. We believe that an increasingly larger number of people share these values with us.
Jari Vesanen
OWNER, ENTREPRENEUR
Jari Vesanen works as a metal industry entrepreneur to earn as much as he can to get the Kosola House ready, business started, and the losses covered. He loves old Ostrobothnian houses honestly, not just in grand speeches. He jokes about money and then wipes the cold sweat from his forehead, when he thinks that no one can see. He does not like conditionals. “It’s the spirit of getting things done that counts.”
Grown in Vaasa, Jari is an activist in Ostrobothnian cultural heritage and ecologically sustainable circular economy, who in the early 2000s saved the handsome Varpula House at the last moment by moving it to Sipoo to serve as his home – but the Kosola House will stay in place! Active in the Rural Culture Foundation, Jari strives to strengthen the appreciation of traditional construction in Finland and encourage people to save valuable old houses from extinction.
HELI KARHUMÄKI
SERVICE SELLER AND STORYTELLER
Communications and Sales Manager Heli Karhumäki serves as the Kosola House service seller,storyteller, and tavern hostess. “This house is a place of special excitement. In many respects, the history of South Ostrobothnia culminates in Lapua, and the history of Lapua culminates in Kosola. Every corner of the house oozes the history of the fatherland, entrepreneurship, and Christian spirit.” The presentation is readily given in the local dialect and with humor, whether wearing the traditional helavyö belt or körtti dress. Heli is particularly pleased to present the spiritual history of Lapua, which is coloured by a number of Awakening movements, powerful preachers, painful contradictions, and touching reconciliations. “This Finnish ‘Bible Belt’ is filled with stories that deepen our understanding of the significance of Finland’s Christian heritage and way of life in the historical stages of the nation”. heli.karhumaki@kosolantalo.fi, 040 172 3606.