Welcome to the capital city of Alvar Aalto’s architecture
In Jyväskylä, the city of lakes and hills in the heart of the Finnish Lakeland, you’ll find the largest number of masterful buildings in the whole world designed by the world-famous architect and academician Alvar Aalto. These locations also form part of the Alvar Aalto Route – 20th Century Architecture and Design – a cultural route which the Council of Europe singled out in 2021 for inclusion in the highly regarded Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe network. The impressive portfolio of 30 locations includes, for instance, the Alvar Aalto Museum (now part of the Aalto2 museum centre), Muurame Church and Säynätsalo Town Hall, which is regarded as one of Aalto’s finest works. Aalto also designed a wooden motorboat for himself (Nemo propheta in Patria, i.e. No one is a prophet in his own country) to go to his summer villa, the Muuratsalo Experimental House. The boat is permanently on display in a distinguished location at Jyväskylä’s Lutakko Harbour.
Alvar Aalto also went to school, started a family and began his illustrious career in Jyväskylä. Indeed, the city of Jyväskylä is home to Aalto creations from the very start of his career right through to designs from his final years. In Jyväskylä you’ll tread in the master’s footsteps from classicism to functionalism and from architecture in brick to monumentalism!
Explore in detail what the city of Alvar Aalto has to offer in terms of experiences, locations and events – let Jyväskylä’s unique architecture thrill and enchant you!