The story of Loma-Vietonen – told by Ikimänny

Wanderer, whoever you are – stop for a moment, hear me. It was 1694, when the King of Sweden and Finland, Charles XI, visited these parts to admire the beauty of the Nordic summer night and the lake scenery. I was then a pine-tree puppy the length of a feather, and thirty years old. The villages had few permanent settlements, mainly hunters. The forests were rich in game and predators, the lakes in abundance with many different species of fish. I grew to the size of a log by the mid-1700s and watched the settlement increase in nearby villages, where the bounty of the forest and lake was readily available.

My roots have pushed deep into the Sompanen dune, which long ago was still an island surrounded by ice. On top of the dike is an ancient primeval forest that has remained intact. No one is allowed to touch it, but anyone can look and admire its beauty. Animals are allowed to live here in peace. As the sunlight melted the ice, the water formed the great Lake Ancylus, on the shores of which I now stand and admire from on high these unrivalled lakescapes. It was the same scenery that an old hostess from the nearby village of Meltosjärvi fell in love with. She loved fishing and used to go with her husband to Lake Vietonen, which is famous for its delicious mackerel. While fishing there, her attention was drawn to a beautiful sandy shore, on the edge of which stood a stately old log building. It had originally been the main building of a farm in the village of Meltosjärvi, now over a hundred years old. It’s a pine tree, so the building is durable and ancient, just like me.

It was there that the old hostess and her husband set up an accommodation and catering business, where to this day many tourists from near and far have found a place to spend their holidays. Tourists have admired the lake and mountain scenery and have loved the host’s immediate, genuine and warm-hearted way of serving her guests. As the log fire glows, over a delicious meal, peace overcomes the traveller’s mind and it feels as if “there is no hurry”, as they say in the bruukatha. The entrepreneurs’ roots are as strong in this country as my own, after all, they come from the same region and have been serving their guests well for almost 40 years.

The landscape here has remained as breathtaking as ever, even though there have been big logging operations along the way and we’ve been sawed into sawlogs. On my side, too, you can see the marks of the condemned, the stamps of the beaten. Fortunately for me, however, I was not cut down, but was left to tell you this story. I will stand here for a long time if you do not harm me.

Despite the grey hairs growing on my crown, my memory works perfectly. I will tell future generations about Lake Vietonen, I will tell them about the beauty of the surrounding dangers; I hope that you and many who come after you will find your way to the memorable landscapes of Loma-Vietonen, to warm service.