Aalto Works

Alvar Aalto was kind enough to build his most important works in Finland close to World Heritage Sites or along the route between two inscribed sites. Very prescient of him. So I could easily include all thirteen locations of this TWHS in my round trip through Southern and Central Finland. I visited Finland in early June 2022 and almost all Aalto sites that are open to the public already offered tours. Unfortunately, Villa Mairea was still closed (tours were only available from the third week of June).

Five locations in Helsinki
The Aalto buildings in Helsinki are scattered north and northwest of the city centre and are all easily accessible by public transport, bus and tram.
Aalto House and Studio Aalto are close to each other in the neighborhood of Munkkiniemi. Both are early works from the 1930s, the interiors can only be visited with guided tours, pre-booking is recommended, via the Aalto Museum website. However, I would only recommend a visit for fans of modern architecture or WH enthusiasts who aim for completeness. The admission fees are quite steep: 30 euros (house) and 20 euros (studio). The tour of the Aalto House was a good introduction to Aalto's life and work, original furniture and design objects are on display, but it doesn't have much else to offer. And there is not much to see in the Studio either. Most striking here is the courtyard, a small amphitheatre-like space. But you can also visit this without a guided …

Paimio Sanatorium is located a few kilometers outside the town of Paimio, within reach of a day trip from Helsinki due to the highway that connects the Finnish capital with Turku. The complex is signposted in Finnish only - look for 'Paimio Sairaala'. I had hoped to find a fine lunch spot in Paimio itself, but the center is quite desolate (despite having an interesting old church).

So I arrived at the Sanatorium an hour before the daily afternoon tour started. No problem, as I was able to admire the buildings from the outside and enjoy the sun from one of the benches in the park. I visited on a Sunday afternoon, and all was very quiet. Some of the buildings are used for different purposes nowadays, and the main building has lost almost all its hospital functions. The guide brought the keys to enter, and the 6 of us who had showed up for the tour were the only ones in the building. Later this year, a wing of the building will be rented out to a NGO that supports 'Children in Need'.

The tour lasts an hour, and shows some of the peculiar features of the design of the main building. Yellow paint was used to imitate the sunlight, round corners as they are easier to clean. The windows are often enormous, so there's a lot of natural light and pleasant views of the surrounding pine forest. Some of the rooms have original furniture too, designed by Aalto …