KIRSTI

Kirsti is the name of a group of buildings by the Rauma river. It offers an example of how houses were constructed in the 18^th and 19^th century, as well as the long traditions of living in Rauma. The dwelling house is by the roadside and one enters the yard through a gate. The outbuildings; the granary, stable, cowshed, and storehouse, encircle the site. A wooden fence encloses the yard in places where there are no buildings. A part of the yard is separated by a fence into an area where animals could be let out in the winter. The main building was built in the 17 hundreds and it has been continued in the 18 hundreds with a bakery part. The low main building with smooth, vertical shuttering and six paned windows gives an idea of what the whole town used to look like.
                                                           

Kirsti was owned by one single family for 200 years before becoming a museum in the 1970’s. The ownership was matrilinear: most of the times the daughter would bring a husband into the house. Therefore the names of the owners have changed, as well as their occupations. The builders of the house were shippers who had shares in vessels exporting lumber to Germany and Denmark. Later the owners have been seamen, workers and craftsmen, for example a blacksmith. Kirsti has also housed lodgers. One of the priviledges of a house owner was the possibility to rent town fields. Farming was a good source of extra income: cows were kept in Kirsti until the 1950’s. Another source of extra income in Rauma has been lace making, and the women of Kirsti have been well-known lace makers from the 17 hundreds until today.

The Kirsti museum displays the life and living of house owners and lodgers in the 20^th century. There are also spinning, net mending or lace making demonstrations. In the autumn school children visit Kirsti to see how people lived in Rauma in the old days.

- Old Town Hall

- Marela

- Kirsti                        

- Potters workshop

- Lookout Tower

Rauma Museum • Kauppakatu 24, 26100 Rauma Finland • Tel. +358-44-5679183 • fax 02 834 3524