Vanhan Rauma’s hidden courtyards draw tens of thousands during annual open-house event

Vanhan Rauma’s annual Avoimet pihat festival drew tens of thousands of visitors this year as 37 historic inner courtyards opened to the public for a single weekend.

The event, organized by the Vanha Rauma association and held during Pitsiviikot (Lace Week), offers rare access to the UNESCO-listed old town’s private walled gardens, which are invisible from the street.

Last year’s edition recorded 80,000 visits across the participating sites, though the figure reflects courtyard entries rather than individual visitors. This year’s turnout continues the trend of growing interest from outside the local area, reversing the pattern of earlier years when most visitors were residents of Rauma.

Participating courtyards feature flea markets, cafés, art displays, and historical exhibits. One site, managed by Anne Holgeri, welcomed over 5,000 visitors last year using a hand counter. Another courtyard, Wälmlä, showcases a 500-year-old stone cellar and a collection of rural artifacts accumulated over decades.

Event organizers note that the festival has evolved from a neighborhood gathering into a regional attraction, with visitor logs confirming a shift from predominantly Rauma-based guests to visitors traveling from farther afield.