Discover Peräseinäjoki through the landscape around Lake Kalajärvi and its diverse architectural and migration history. At the lake, opportunities for outdoor activities meet an open-air museum; churches and museums tell further stories about the area and its connections with other parts of the world.
Lake Kalajärvi: Cycling, hiking and winter activities
Lake Kalajärvi offers picturesque lake scenery, nature and opportunities for outdoor activities. On the lakeshore lies Maailman Raitti, a three-hectare open-air museum and travel destination. Here, landscape and cultural history sit side by side.
A marked cycling route runs around Lake Kalajärvi in Peräseinäjoki. It is 22 kilometres long and follows roads with gravel and asphalt surfaces. For planning purposes, it can be clearly distinguished from a signposted hiking trail: the latter is about 170 kilometres long and runs from Ylistaro to Peräseinäjoki. There is no designated starting or ending point on the hiking trail; you can begin anywhere along the route. The cycling loop offers a shorter, defined format, while the hiking trail’s length and flexible starting point allow for a different kind of route planning.
In winter, a lit skating track is created in the forest near Lake Kalajärvi. It adds a distinctly seasonal outdoor activity to the cycling route and hiking opportunities. Visitors planning their stay around the season will find different activities for the warmer and colder months, without needing to combine them into a fixed itinerary.
Buildings and stories from around the world
At the Maailman Raitti open-air museum, individual buildings draw attention to very different life stories. The Unkuri House is an aspen-wood log house built in Bugene in 1879 by Matti Unkuri for his family. Unkuri had been deported to Siberia. Today, the house is displayed in its original appearance. A different story is told by corrugated-iron accommodation for workers on a sugar cane farm. It originally stood in Ingham, Queensland, Australia, was built in the 1920s and was still in use in the 1960s.
The open-air museum of the Siirtolaisuusmuseo in Peräseinäjoki tells stories of migration through four residential buildings from different parts of the world. The Knuuttila House was brought to Finland from the village of New Finland in Saskatchewan. Its oldest section dates from 1893, and its original interior has been preserved. The museum buildings contain authentic objects and furnishings and can be entered during opening hours.
Riihimuseo and Pyhän Paavalin kirkko
The Peräseinäjoki Riihimuseo traces the development of Peräseinäjoki from the past to the present, but is currently closed. In the old threshing barn, exhibits include objects used for grain processing in earlier times, as well as old tools and agricultural machinery. If you plan to visit the museum, check its status beforehand.
The present-day church of Peräseinäjoki is the parish’s second church and was completed in 1892. It is named Pyhän Paavalin kirkko. Provincial architect Ivar Aminoff designed the wooden cruciform church; it was built by master builder Juho Karjalahti from Haapajärvi. Three galleries are a distinctive feature of the building. The sacristy also houses a votive ship from the late 19th century: a donated model of a sailing ship. Such votive ships are rare in an inland church.
Discover more destinations: Alajärvi, Seinäjoki, Kuortane, Länsikylä, Ojutkangas, Alavus, Närvijoki, Karijoki
For the regional travel overview: South Ostrobothnia.
