Pyhäjärvi offers several clearly distinct points of interest: Rillankivi takes you into the history of border surveys, Vaskikello into stories about clocks, while various water activities take centre stage on the river and lake. When planning your trip, you can choose to focus separately on cultural history, the museum collection, the event venue and time outdoors.
Border history at Rillankivi
Rillankivi apparently served as a boundary marker as early as the 15th century. Notches were carved into its surface during border surveys. The combination of its role as a boundary marker and its notches makes the history of surveying tangible at the rock, rather than limiting it to a historical date. The area around Rillankivi is protected as a nature reserve. There is a shelter, a campfire site and a toilet at the trailhead.
Stories about clocks and the local heritage museum
Vaskikello has a unique clock collection found nowhere else in the world; there, you can hear around 2,000 different stories about clocks. Kotiseutumuseo Makasiini offers a different focus: it is housed in a crown granary completed in 1866. The Pyhäjärvi-Seura association has operated a local heritage museum there for just over 60 years. Around 1,200 rural artefacts from Pyhäjärvi have been catalogued; some of them are displayed in an exhibition whose contents may change. The two cultural attractions therefore differ not only in subject matter but also in how they present it: Vaskikello focuses on told stories about clocks, while part of the rural collection is on display at Makasiini.
On the river and lake
On the upper reaches of the Pyhäjoki River, there is an approximately eight-kilometre-long recreational area offering opportunities for spinning, trolling and fly fishing. Canoeing on the Pyhäjoki has also become a tradition in Pyhäjärvi. On Lake Pyhäjärvi, there are boating routes with moorings; boat tours are also available. The distinction is clear when choosing what to do: the river offers fishing using three specifically named methods and canoeing, while the lake offers boating routes and tours. If you plan to take a tour, check the dates, as operating details may change.
Beach and land-based activities
Emolahti’s sandy beach is child-friendly. Pyhäjärvi also has extensive areas for picking berries and mushrooms, as well as for hunting. The range of outdoor activities therefore extends from the beach to foraging and hunting; you can consider these options separately from the fishing and boating activities. Emolahti is the main beach destination, while the extensive areas for foraging and hunting offer other ways to spend time outdoors.
Perinnepiha as an event venue
Perinnepiha is suitable as a venue for celebrations and meetings, as well as, for example, theatre and dance performances. Reservations may be required. If you are planning a specific event, confirm the use of Perinnepiha in advance. This makes it particularly interesting for travellers whose stay is connected with a celebration, meeting or performance.
Discover more destinations: Nivala, Hyytiälä, Pudasjärvi, Hankamäki, Kärsämäki, Juuma, Syötekylä, Kuusamo
For the broader travel overview: North Ostrobothnia.
