Kultaranta ( sv, Gullranda; ) is the summer residence of the
president of Finland. It is in the district of Kultaranta on the island of
Luonnonmaa
Luonnonmaa is an island in the city of Naantali, in south-western Finland. It forms most of the city's area, but only a fraction of its population as it is rather sparsely populated. It previously belonged to the rural municipality of Naantali ('' ...
, in
Naantali
Naantali (; sv, Nådendal) is a town in southwestern Finland, and, as a resort town during the summer, an important tourist centre of the country. The municipality has a population of
(), and is located in the region of Southwest Finland, west ...
. The
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...
manor house is surrounded by of park, belonging to the property.
The President of the Republic's summer residence, Kultaranta, stands in 54-hectare grounds in Naantali on the southwest coast. As well as the granite-built house, the complex includes numerous outbuildings and greenhouses, and a park.
Kultaranta's original owner was the businessman
Alfred Kordelin
Alfred Kordelin (6 November 1868, Rauma – 7 November 1917, Mommila, Hausjärvi) was a Finnish industrialist, businessman, entrepreneur, and a major philanthropist. Kordelin was one of the richest Finnish entrepreneurs of his time.
Kordeli ...
, who had a manor house built for himself in 1914. It was designed by the architect
Lars Sonck
Lars Eliel Sonck (10 August 1870 – 14 March 1956) was a Finnish architect. He graduated from Helsinki Polytechnic Institute in 1894 and immediately won a major design competition for a church in Turku, St Michael's Church, ahead of many esta ...
. When Kordelin died in 1917 the manor's ownership shifted to the
University of Turku
sv, Åbo universitet
, latin_name = Universitas Aboensis
, image_name = University of Turku.svg
, motto = ''Vapaan kansan lahja vapaalle tieteelle''
, established = 1920
, type ...
and, in 1922, the
Finnish Parliament
The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...
voted to acquire it for use as the president's summer residence.
The ground floor contains the reception rooms and private apartments. Upstairs are the bedrooms and guestrooms. Marble steps lead from the ground floor to the tower, from which there are views of Naantali and the inshore islands.
The parks around the manor, containing approximately a thousand square metres of
greenhouse and a garden with 3,500
rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
s called ''Medaljonki'' ('medallion'), are open to the public. The scent and colour of these roses are at their peak in the middle of the summer, when the President and family and their guests come to Naantali for the holidays. Tours in the garden are organised by the City of Naantali's tourist service.
Kultaranta's Park has been described as a "mini-
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
". The parkland to the north of Kultaranta is in practically a natural state, though a few sandy pathways have been built there, and the woodland is kept in good condition.
Kultaranta has about of greenhouses. The garden supplies the President's household with both flowers and vegetables all year round.
Gallery
See also
*
Kesäranta
*
Mäntyniemi
Mäntyniemi (; ) is one of the three official residences of the President of Finland, besides the Presidential Palace and the summer residence Kultaranta. Mäntyniemi was finished in 1993. Four Finnish presidents have lived there: Mauno Koivist ...
References
Further reading
*
*
* {{cite book , author=Pirjo Uino , year=1982 , title=Villa Gullrandas trädgårdsarkitektur , publisher=Finskt Museum , page=33–85 , location=Helsinki , language=sv
External links
*Kultarant
with pictures (in English)
Presidential residences
Official residences in Finland
Manor houses in Finland
Palaces in Finland
Gardens in Finland
Naantali
Buildings and structures in Southwest Finland
Lars Sonck buildings
National Romantic architecture in Finland
Art Nouveau houses
Art Nouveau government buildings
Houses completed in 1914