Jyväskylä returns historic well to park as a source of joy

Jyväskylä has returned a restored 1869 market well to Kirkkopuisto park, where it once served the city’s water supply. The well no longer provides water and is now a decorative feature, Yle reports.

The well was brought back near its original location on the Gummerus Street side of the park at the turn of October and November. It had spent recent decades in the yard of Könkkölä farm.

The idea to return it came from Jyväskylä’s museum services and museum director Hanna-Kaisa Melaranta. She said the timing was right because both the well and the park had been restored. The well itself underwent a thorough repair a few years ago after falling into poor condition.

Built in Kirkkopuisto in 1869, the well was available to the public and formed part of the city’s water supply. It was known as the market well because the city’s market was then located where the park is today.

Its importance declined as the city began building a water pipe network in the early 1900s. The well disappeared from the park around the turn of the 1920s and 1930s. The museum has not established where it went before it was moved to Könkkölä farm in the 1960s.

Melaranta said the well helps tell the story of the park’s early days as a market. She also said its appearance matters: “It’s so cute. The most important thing is that it brings joy.”

The original well was taller than the restored structure because it stood on a base, which had disappeared decades ago. The well also predates Jyväskylä’s city church, which opened in 1880.