Syvilla – the cottage at Syväniemi on the shore of Lake Kovesjärvi in southern Finland − offers great opportunities for leisure and provides a lovely setting for small-scale festivities and corporate events.
The Baron of Parkano, Baron Gustaf Wrede af Elimä, was the forester in charge of the local government-owned woodlands at the beginning of the 20th century. He granted permission for Kristian Samuel’s son and his wife, Julia Efraim’s daughter, to rent a piece of land along Lake Kovesjärvi’s shore. In 1907 the young couple built the Syväniemi farmhouse on this beautiful shoreline. They were later able to purchase the property outright when the changing Finnish legislation so allowed.
Kristian and Julia already had four of their eight children when they arrived at Syväniemi. The family earned its living partly from agriculture and partly from trade. As a travelling salesman, Kristian had to spend long periods of time away from the family. During those times, Julia had the sole responsibility of looking after the children, the farm and the animals. As time passed, the ownership of the farm was left to the family’s youngest daughter, Taimi. She continued to look after the farm with her husband Hugo until old age caught up with both of them, and they moved to a rented property on the other side of the lake and finally to the centre of nearby Parkano town. The Syväniemi estate was left uninhabited for several years, and the beautiful gardens and buildings gradually became run down. The new owners purchased Syväniemi in July 2008 and had the estate totally repaired and refurbished, keeping in line with the original tradition.