Rare 200-year-old house seeks buyer in Pieksämäki – Sylvi Kekkonen played here as a child

Pieksämäki is offering the 1804-built Iso-Pappila, one of Finland’s few surviving Gustavian-style vicarage buildings, for sale by public auction with bidding open until the end of August.

The property, located on the church hill in central Pieksämäki, is currently advertised with a minimum bid of €7,500. City building manager Martti Korhonen said he has shown the house once this month.

“It is a rare property—ideal for someone with deep pockets,” Korhonen said. “The structure is sound, but the building services and finishes need complete renewal, which will cost at least €400,000.”

The city has decided not to fund renovations itself, citing budget constraints. Regional development manager Eero Korhonen of the East Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment said he hopes a buyer will emerge who values the building’s history and can bring new life and business to the town.

Iso-Pappila is best known as the childhood playground of Sylvi Kekkonen, wife of former President Urho Kekkonen, who was born in the former assistant vicar’s residence on the site in 1900. A memorial stone now marks the spot.

Local cultural groups have opposed the sale, arguing the building should remain in public or non-profit use. Ilkka Sepän, chair of the Iso-Pappila Support Association, called the city’s decision misguided.

“The city has many underused buildings,” Sepän said. “We see this as a major loss with no justification. If the city cannot sell it, the South Savo region should step in to secure its future.”

The support association has suggested exploring flexible seasonal uses—tourism and events in summer, basic services in winter—to keep the building viable.

Regional officials point to the nearby Kenkävero vicarage in Mikkeli, restored in the late 1980s and now a popular tourist destination with a restaurant and shops, as an example of how empty historic buildings can be revived.