Håkansböle manor museum opens in Vantaa

Håkansböle manor museum in Vantaa has drawn over 5,000 visitors in just over a month since its June opening, Yle reports.

The city of Vantaa completed a €3.5 million renovation of the main building between 2024 and 2025, restoring architect Armas Lindgren’s original early 20th-century Jugend style. Lindgren designed the manor, built around 1905–1908, for the noble Sanmark family after recommending a new structure over repairing the old one.

Conservators preserved much of the original fabric, reviving Lindgren’s color schemes and decorative details. The dining room’s textiles were handmade to match his plans, and 12 original stoves retain their decorative paintings. The manor’s collection—acquired from the Sanmark family—includes 15,000 objects, 1,200 photographs, and 12 meters of archival material.

Exhibits now feature items from the family and their staff, including the belongings of governess Adolfina Mattson, known as Fina, whose room has been recreated. The estate, a nationally significant cultural environment, sits amid modern apartment blocks.

The park retains tree-lined paths planted by earlier owners, while heritage plants from Porvoo, including descendants of Fredrika Runeberg’s specimens, now adorn the manor’s windowsills.