Old Town Rauma open courtyards draw record crowds

Old Town Rauma’s annual open courtyards event, held during Lace Week, has attracted a record number of visitors, with an estimated 90,000 people exploring the 37 participating yards over the past week, Yle reports.

Among the most popular was the courtyard of Anne Holgeri, who installed a visitor counter last year that recorded over 5,000 guests. This year, the number exceeded 7,000.

“This is an exciting event. Many people come every year and become familiar faces,” Holgeri told Yle last week.

The Old Rauma Association organized the event, now in its 21st year, with residents sharing stories of decades-long restoration work on their protected properties. Visitors arrived from across Europe, as well as from the immediate neighborhood.

“The interest is clear—often, someone who visited a courtyard one day would return the next with their partner,” said Kari Kallonen, chair of the association, in a statement.