- Source: Vanajanlinna Manor
Vanajanlinna Manor is a historic mansion in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The manor is situated next to Lake Katuma (Katumajärvi). It was designed by Finnish architect Sigurd Frosterus and built in the 1920s by Finnish business magnate Carl Wilhelm Rosenlew. Rosenlew intended the manor to serve as his hunting lodge for the Finnish political and economic elite.
History
The first documented reference concerning the Äikäälä estate dates back to 1374. The estate was owned by the Finnish nobility and the Catholic Bishop of Finland. Over the centuries, the estate had multiple owners.
Vanajanlinna Manor
The history of Vanajanlinna Manor dates back to 1918 when Carl Wilhelm Rosenlew purchased the Äikäälä estate and other surrounding farms. Rosenlew's vision was to build a hunting lodge where the Finnish elite could engage in deer hunting, pheasant hunting, and crab feasts. The manor had 501 hectares of land, providing plenty of space for hunting.
Guests at the lodge included Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, President Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, and President Risto Ryti. Mannerheim and Karl Fazer had their own private apartments at the manor.
The manor's construction began in 1919 and was completed in 1924. It embodies baroque and Renaissance architecture with English influences due to Rosenlew and Frosterus being Anglophiles. British architect Edwin Lutyens influenced Frosterus' work. The manor's interior design exuded modernity and luxury, with bathrooms crafted from Italian marble, a Turkish bath, and the first heated indoor swimming pool in Finland. The dining room panelling were constructed with Indian mahogany. It had a total of 80 rooms including a ball room, a library, a winter garden, a wine cave, and a billiard room.
The garden was influenced by the Palace of Versailles Royal Garden and the English landscape garden.
The Great Depression and World War II influenced Rosenlew's financial situation, leading him to sell the manor in 1941.
Vanajanlinna had three different owners before it was transformed into a hotel, restaurant, and golf course after 1998. Restaurant Carl Wilhelm is named after its first owner Carl Wilhelm Rosenlew. An award-winning golf course and the first PGA standard golf course in Finland, Linna Golf, is located at the manor.