The Look of Leisure
Historic Seaside Villas of the Northern Baltic
Summer villas became a special phenomenon on the Karelian
Isthmus during the 1870s, when the railway created a new
connection between the Finnish Grand Duchy and and
St. Petersburg, the capital of Imperial Russia. The coastal
stretch of the Isthmus northwest of St. Petersburg developed
into a meeting point between two cultures, as thousands of
summer vacationers found the area. Still in the present day, this
“Northern Riviera” holds an aura of a glorious “Paradise Lost” of
endless summer days and long beaches, populated with beautiful
villas and picturesque villages. The area of Terijoki, today
Zelenogorsk, became the most famous summer resort.
This publication, a joint venture of Finnish and Russian authors,
explores the rich history of wooden coastal villas. Architecturally
these buildings allowed great freedom in design, and came to
symbolise summer time leisure. A range of essays introduce
perspectives on history, the stylistic exchanges and variations,
as well as documenting and restoration of the villas. In addition
to history, the work at hand offers insights to the contemporary
questions concerning the future of this shared heritage.
- Author:
- Laura Berger (edit.)
- Number of pages:
- 208
- Image ratio:
- richly illustrated
- Published:
- 2021
- ISBN:
- 978–952–68812–6–3
- Language:
- english
- Publisher:
- The Finnish National Committee of ICOMOS, The Finnish Architecture Society
19 00 €