• Hvittrask was built between 1901 and 1903 by architects Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren, and Eliel Saarinen for their residence and common studio.

• The south wing of the main Hvitträsk building, the residence of the Saarinen family

• The building expressed the national romantic style

• Architect Armas Lindgren designed the north wing of the main building. He moved back to Helsinki after living only two years here.

• Door to Lindgren's north wing

• The Saarinen Family: Loja, Eero (Poju), Eliel, Eva-Lisa (Pipsan). In 1923 the family moved to the United States. Eliel designed the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and taught there. Eero followed in his father's footsteps to become a world-renowned architect. Eva-Lisa became an interior designer.

• Eero Saarinen

• Interior of the Saarinen wing

• The tiles in the fireplaces were hand made at the Wilhelm Andsten Factory in Helsinki

• According to the philosophy of the period, Saarinen created a complete work of art. He designed the furniture himself.

• All but one of the rugs were also designed by Saarinen. This rug, 'Flame', was designed by artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

• 'Flame' detail

• Dining Room

• Dining Room

• Dining Room stained glass by Olga Gummerus-Ehrström

• Flower Room (orchid room)

• Flower Room (orchid room)

• Sleeping porch overlooking Lake Vitträsk ('White Lake')

• Sleeping porch

• Attic Room

• Rose Chamber

• Rose Chamber

• Rose Chamber with portrait of Pipsan in the alcove

• Children's Bedroom

• Children's bedroom

• Children's playroom

• Children's playroom

• Children's playroom

• Children's playroom

• Eliel and Loja Saarinen are buried in the woods near Hvitträsk.

• Part of the Saarinen wing is used to present the life and work of the Saarinen family.

• Fellow tour member Matt in the Hvitträsk Gift Shop with a book about the life and works of Elliel and Eero Saarinen.

• Ralph Rapson, a student of Eliel Saarinen at Cranbrook Academy, designed the home of Matt and his wife Liz in Minnesota.

• Architect Herman Gesellius designed the 'Black Villa' at Hvitträsk as a residence for his family.

• 'Black Villa' detail

• 'Black Villa' detail

• 'Black Villa'

• The 'Black Villa' is now used as a restaurant and cafe.

• Outdoor restaurant seating behind the 'Black Villa'

• Tarvaspää, the home, gallery, and museum of artist and architect Akseli Gallen-Kallela, a pioneer in developing National Romantic art in Finland

• Interior of Tarvaspää

• Interior of Tarvaspää

• Self-Portrait for the Uffizi Gallery, Akseli Gallen-Kallela

• Lost, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1886

• Café, Paris, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1887

• Montmartre Street Scene, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1888

• Boulevard in Paris, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1888

• Study for floor mosaic designed for lobby at Tarvasää, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1920s

• A 'foot shot' on the floor mosaic in the lobby at Tarvasää

• The restaurant opposite Tarvaspää

• Tarvaspää flora

• The Chapel of St. Lawrence, Avanto, Architect, 2010

• Approaching the Chapel of St. Lawrence

• Approaching the Chapel of St. Lawrence

• The Chapel of St. Lawrence marks the northern boundary of an old graveyard

• The building is a series of three chapels of three different sizes nested within orthogonal masonry walls

• The bell tower to the left leads the eye skyward

• Looking from the entry toward the bell tower

• Entrance to the Great Hall

• A view of the bell tower from the entry pool

• Looking out from the entry

• Entry

• Entry bench detail

• Entering the Great Hall. Note the abstract cross delineated on the orthogonal walls

• Great Hall

• Great Hall

• Great Hall

• Window screen in the Great Hall made of patinated copper mesh that decreases the heat load from sunshine

• The chapel is used exclusively for funerals. This is the coffin lift used to raise the dead from the refrigerated room below.

• Pew detail

• Great Hall

• The mid-sized chapel. Note the cross in relief on the wall.

• Cross detail

• Door detail

• Detail of wall sculpture in stairwell

• Door to smallest chapel

• Inside the smallest chapel

• Inside the smallest chapel

• The graveyard links St. Lawrence Chapel to the older stone church seen in the background.

• Paimio Sanatorium, Aino and Alvar Aalto, Architects, 1928-1933. In the 1930s tuberculosis was a serious public health threat and sanatoriums were built as residential treament centers for individuals with the disease.

• The location in a pine forest was considered helpful in curing tuberculosis.

• The cafeteria wing. The sanatorium had its own farm to provide fresh healthy food for residents.

• Main entrance to the sanatorium

• Residential wing

• Opposite side of residential wing. The Paimio Sanatorium is considered the breakthrough of Aalto's international career with articles published on it even during construction.

• Registration desk

• A photo of Aalto in the lobby

• A younger Alvar Aalto

• A view from the lobby toward the cafeteria wing

• A hallway on an upper floor

• Main staircase

• Entering the Dining Hall

• Is this where Michelle Obama got the idea for replacing the food pyramid?

• Dining Hall

• Dining Hall

• The hanging structure with the windows above the Dining Hall was originally a library and is now a multipurpose room that houses some exhibits.

• Looking out from the exhibit room that is above the Dining Hall

• An artistic rendering of the sanatorium site plan

• Aalto's furniture designs, such as chairs with flexible bent wood frames and legs, developed during the sanatorium design process.

• Chair designed specifically for the sanatorium

• The chair design encouraged lung expansion

• Chapel

• Chapel corner window detail

• Part of the physical plant for the sanatorium

• The physical plant for the sanatorium

• Open air balcony above the residential wing

• This structure on the open air balcony was used for wheel chair training.

• Elevator mechanism

• Elevator door

• Resident room

• A typical Aalto uplight with reflector. We saw similar lamps throughout Finland.

• Lamp detail

• Our lunch stop in Turku

• Turku Cathedral dates from the latter half of the 13th century. The steeple in its present form was constructed in 1831.

• Cathedral exterior stone work

• Cathedral entry door detail

• The main chancel was completed in the 1850s.

• Pulpit and altar detail

• Altar and ceiling detail

• Many Turku trees were wrapped in whimsical hand-knit sweaters.

• Sculpture near the library

• The Turku cow overlooks a courtyard at the center of the offices of the provincial governor, the former governor's residence, the old brick library, and the new main library.

• The Turku cow reflected in a library window

• Turku Main Library, JKMM Architects, 2007

• Library interior

• Library interior space overlooking courtyard

• Library interior

• Entering the children's section of the library

• Children's section of the library

• Children's section of the library. The theater curtain can be seen on the left .

• Light detail

• Libray exterior

• Turun Sanomat, Alvar Aalto, Architect, 1928-30

• Aalto was inspired by Le Corbusier in this design for the Turku newspaper offices.

• Turun Sanomat building entry detail

• The rear of the building was open to allow for natural light and ventilation. The building had a roof garden.

• Turun Sanomat rear building detail

• Turun Sanomat interior staircase detail

• Market square in Turku

• Overhead lights above a Turku pedestrian mall

• Agricultural Cooperative Building, Alvar Aalto, Architect, 1927-29

• Aino & Alvar Aalto had their home and office in the Classicist style building until 1933.

• Notable in the two-story main entrance is a frieze that references classical elements of antiquity.

• Frieze detail

• Standard Apartment Building, Alvar Aalto, Architect, 1927-29. Hollow precast concrete elements that allow a flexible ground plan characterize Aalto's first apartment building.

• An alphabet interlude

• From Turku, we drove on to Noormarkku and stayed at the A. Ahlström Guest Houses. Our room was in this cottage.

• Our room at the A. Ahlström Guest Houses

• A building behind our cottage

• Apple blossoms

• In addition to the guest houses, this large rural complex in Noormarkku houses the headquarters of the A. Ahlström Corporation, that today produces internationally known specialty paper products.

• Historic A. Ahlström Corporation buildings

• This photo and the following six photos were taken on a morning walk from our guest cottage to Villa Mairea, also owned by A. Ahlström Corporation.

• Villa Mairea, Aino & Alvar Aalto, Architects, 1938-39

• Villa Mairea was designed for industrialist Harry Gullichsen and his wife Maire Ahlström Gullichsen, an art collector.

• The design of the villa is based on the idea of harmony among people, nature, and art.

• The sauna at the villa

• Swimming pool and adjacent log sauna

• These corner windows enclose Maire's art studio with her private balcony above.