Description of the attraction
Dr. Winter's summer cottage is located eight kilometers from the city of Sortavala, not far from the Yukhtinlahti bay. It is located on the shore of Cape Taruniemi, which in Finnish means "fabulous cape". Here in 1909 a country villa was built in the Finnish national romantic style for the doctor Gustav Johannes Winter. Earlier on these rocks there was an ancient fortress of Ladoga region.
This place is unique, as it combines history, and the harsh beauty of northern nature, and the talent of an architect, as well as the genius of a gardener. The author of the design work, who was the founder of this style in architecture, is the famous architect Eliel Saarinen. This building is his best creation in this direction. This building has two floors. The first floor is made of natural stone and complemented by columns interspersed with cobblestones, the second floor is entirely made of wood and covered with shingle (wooden) tiles. High staircases made of Serdobol granite descend to the terrace.
There is a spacious fireplace room on the ground floor. On the second one you can climb the high stairs. Previously, it housed an office, bedroom and living room. On the outside of the building there are two balconies and a bay window, as well as a terrace surrounding the house from the south. The villa gives the impression of a solid, monumental structure, which is why it was given the name - Tarulinna, translated from Finnish as "fairytale fortress".
At the beginning of the 20th century, Dr. Winter was a progressive Sortavala surgeon who was the first to perform operations on thyroid tumors in Finland. Thanks to him, the first X-ray department in Finland was opened. He was also actively involved in social activities and did a lot for his city.
Dr. Winter was fond of gardening art and, on his initiative, a city park was founded. Winter set up a unique arboretum near his house. Many rare species of shrubs and trees were planted here, brought from America and China, Japan and the Caucasus. Here grow cedars, fir, thuja - a total of 22 species of various conifers, as well as shrub species - various types of honeysuckle, acacia, barberry and others.
This garden is one special world. Here you can admire the central flower bed with a sundial, and then go along the diverging paths or to the “green” theater, or to the Italian gazebo, which is located by a small pond with a suspension bridge, or maybe to the “avenue of desires” lined with fir trees.
The Roerich family was very fond of visiting this house in 1916-1919. This is reminiscent of S. N. Roerich's portrait with a dedication.
After the death of Gustav Winter in 1924, the estate changed several owners. It was a sanatorium, a club for young sailors, and a recreation center for the FSB. Since 1993, an exhibition dedicated to the Roerich family has been opened in the fireplace hall of the Valaam cultural center. Since 2000, thanks to the philanthropist-entrepreneur M. A. Kogan, restoration work has begun on the estate. Now it is an architectural monument of regional importance, there is a tourist park-hotel “Winter's Dacha”.
In the halls of the estate, expositions are arranged, exhibitions are held, which tell about the historical past of these places, about famous people, whose life is connected with this region. On the stands are photographs, household items found during restoration work, samples of unique plants in the arboretum. There is a separate exhibition of stones. Various excursions around the arboretum are organized. Here you can also hold all kinds of events (up to 50 people), for this they use the living room of the country house. It is a typical example of the "Northern Art Nouveau" of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The hall has all the necessary equipment for conferences. The living room is very popular for seminars, presentations, trainings.
