The Lakeland - Finland - page 358

Poppari C2
Sights
For architecture buffs the best visiting days are Tuesday to Friday, as many buildings are
closed on weekends and the Alvar Aalto Museum is closed on Monday.
Jyväskylä's museums are all free on Fridays outside of the summer season.
Alvar Aalto Museo MUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.alvaraalto.fi ;Alvar Aallonkatu 7;adult/child €6/free; 11am-6pm Tue-
Sun, 10am-6pm Tue-Fri Jul-Aug)
Alvar Aalto, a giant of 20th-century architecture, was schooled in Jyväskylä, opened his
first offices here and spent his summers in nearby Muuratsalo. The city has dozens of
Aalto buildings, but stop first at one of his last creations, this museum in the university
area. It chronicles his life and work, with detailed focus on his major buildings, as well as
sections on his furniture design and glassware. It's very engaging; you get a real feel for
the man and his philosophy.
The cafe does decent lunches. The museum stocks Alvar Aalto's Jyväskylä (€1), a
pamphlet plotting some of his significant buildings in and around Jyväskylä. It also has
simple bikes for hire (per 1/2 days €10/15) to help you explore them.
Alvar Aalto Buildings NOTABLE BUILDING
Aalto's list includes the university's main buildings and the City Theatre ( MAP
GOOGLE MAP ;Vapaudenkatu 36) . On the corner of Kauppakatu and Väinönkatu is the old
Workers' Club Building ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) (1925), an early work with Renaissance-
inspired features such as columns and a Palladian balcony; downstairs is now a karaoke
pub.
Keski-Suomen Museo MUSEUM