About the Manor
The land on which the manor is situated was established in 1689
and is situated 220 meters above sea level and 140 meters above
Muurat lake. From this height the Riihivuori ski resort can
clearly be seen in the East. The view from the manor house
opens up to a gorgeous view over middle Finland.
The highest and
most noble place in Hirvivuori was reserved for the handsome main
building, built in the 1860s. The manor house got electric lighting already in 1880. The house was remodeled in the 1990's bearing in mind
its historical nature. None of the historical façade was
changed. The builders of the manor, Heikki and Vilppu Hirvivuori
were well respected men in the area and there are hundreds of
stories about them. There are enough stories to write a
whole book on them. The history of greater Jämsä includes
a section called 'Hirv´vuoren Mäenkyläläisten Elämästä' or
'Life in Hirvivuori's Hilltop Village'. The author that
wrote this historical account, Lauri Kuusanmäki, has also written
a book called, 'The Historical accounts of the house and its
Inhabitants'. Records tell that land previously named Hirv'vuori
was sectioned into pieces in 1689 and given to the brother of the
original owner. The first modest building was dug out of the
north side of the hill, made of stone and had a dirt floor.
The people and animals lived in the same building. The ruins
of this building are still visible.
Some time later Vilppu and
his son Heikki built the grand manor house which was the best of
eight houses in total and when a daughter was married she was
given away with a house. The work ethic of Heikki was near
legendary. People used to say that when Heikki would come
home to sleep after a long days work and hang his pants on the
clothes line, he'd be putting his pants on to work again before
they would stop swinging. The Hirvivuori manor became well known
during the years of famine as they had a good stockpile of grain
from previous years and all the people that came to ask for food
were allowed to sauna and get cleaned up as well as given a good
meal by Reetriikka, the always busy lady of the house. The house was repaired and decorated in 1905 and 1910. The estate included at its best more than fifty (50) buildings and dwellings. The main income of the manor from the 50's until the
70's was the garden and thoroughbred horses. Some of the
horses were well known such as Little Black (Pikku Musta) and Dona
Saltum. The current owners of the manor purchased the land
in 1976 have made many renovations. The Savupirtti cabin built in 1905
was restored and renovated to today's standards in the 1990's. The manor boasts a spacious living area with a total of
280m2. The downstairs has 100m2 complete with a full size
kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom, sauna and shower room. The
loft upstairs is a spacious 50m2. There are 9-12 beds and beds for
children.
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