Alfred Kordelin’s Burial Chapel

The Kordelin's Chapel in Rauma's Old cemetery was completed in 1921. The chapel was constructed and donated to the parish by Alfred Kordelin's family. The chapel was designed by Lars Sonck and has been in the possession of the parish of Rauma since 1924.

Alfred Kordelin (1868 - 1917), the son of a sailor from Rauma, was among the most prominent of the country's Finnish-speaking businessmen. A youngster who never received a formal education, he started out empty-handed but full of vigour and became one of Finland's richest men in a couple of decades. Kordelin was especially active in weaving and the metal industry, and eventually he also became a ship-owner.

Alfred Kordelin was also one of Finland's largest private landowners. He owned the Mommila and Jokioinen manors, and farming became his focus in Mommila. He was honoured with the title 'Counsellor of Agriculture'. Towards the end of his life, Kordelin built Kultaranta as his summer residence, which now serves as the summer residence of the President of Finland.

Alfred Kordelin died at the age of 49 during the turmoil preceding Finland's independence, in the so-called Mommila disturbance on 7 November 1917. He was shot by a Russian apprentice seaman. Kordelin, who had remained a bachelor, bequeathed a large share of his fortune as the basic capital for the Finnish cultural fund.

The Alfred Kordelin Trust Fund distributes scholarships to promote science, literature, art, and popular enlightenment.