Kuddnäs Museum » Museums in Ostrobothnia

Kuddnäs Museum

The exemplar of the Kuddnäs estate built in the 19th century was the Vaasa Court of Appeal building in Old Vaasa. The name of the mansion was until 1840 Kudnis and it is likely to have origina ...

The exemplar of the Kuddnäs estate built in the 19th century was the Vaasa Court of Appeal building in Old Vaasa. The name of the mansion was until 1840 Kudnis and it is likely to have originated from its former owner called Kudd-Nisse.

The childhood home of Zachris Topelius, Kuddnäs, is a stately chalked wooden house in Kuddnäs, Nykarleby. The contemporary interiors and objects, that used to belong to the Topelius family, create an atmospheric milieu, which takes the visitor back to the early 19th century.

Kuddnäs is a bourgeois home in Nykarleby dating back to the early 19th century. The museum displays how the family of Topelius – a typical Ostrobothnian bourgeois family – lived. The furniture and objects tell about the customs and habits of the time. In the chamber, where Zachris Topelius (1818-1898) was born, still remains a cradle. The beautiful interiors of the house have been decorated with mainly empire style furniture and on the walls can be seen portraits of Topelius and his family. In one of the drawing rooms is a grand piano, which Zachris and his sisters used when learning to play the piano.

Topelius’ father Zacharias Topelius was a doctor and he held his reception at home. In addition to collecting folk poetry he was very interested in agriculture. His attempts to create a model farm led to the acquisition of many notable agrarian machines. People would travel even long distances to see the machines. Zacharias Topelius shared his interest in natural sciences with his son Zachris. Topelius’ collection of insects is displayed along with other childhood items, such as his skates and sled.

The scenic Kuddnäs and way of life in the mansion are represented in Topelius’ poems. Here he found inspiration for instance for his Valtteri seikkailee Taivasmäen sokerimaassa fairy tales. Some minor drawings by Topelius have survived, for example soldiers drawn on paper. The attic chamber, where he wrote many of the poems of his formative years, has been preserved in a nearly original state.
Next to the main building is an old gazebo, where Topelius used to sit and write while glancing at the flowing river. The water used to be visible to the eye, but now the landscape has overgrown partly due to upthrust.

The mansion is also an example of what a well-to-do estate may have looked like in the beginning of the 19th century with its bakery cabin and side buildings. Art exhibitions are arranged during the summertime in the bakery cabin. Zachris and Emilie Topelius’ wedding was held in the yellow side building, and nowadays there can be found a café with a museum shop as well as a banquet hall, which can be rented for various occasions.

After the Topelius family moved out of Kuddnäs, the house had several owners and it also served as a nursing home. In the 1930s Kuddnäs was turned into a museum and restored to its original state.

During the summer time travels to Topelius’ time are arranged in Kuddnäs. See homepage for more information.