Kultaranta Park

Svante & Paul Olsson, 1914–1916

The Kultaranta Park consists of a formal garden, a woodland garden built on rocky terrain, and a naturalistic woodland area. These are surrounded by a historic cultural landscape and the inner archipelago of Southwest Finland.

The park was originally designed in the 1910s by Svante Olsson, Helsinki’s first city gardener and his son, garden architect Paul Olsson. The park was renovated and expanded in the 1960s according to plans by landscape architect Maj-Lis Rosenbröijer.

During the summer season, the Kultaranta garden is open to visitors on Friday evenings from 18.00 to 20.00.

Basic Information

Total area 55 ha
Developer Alfred Kordelin
Construction period 1914–1916
Designers Svante & Paul Olsson

Renovations and Restoration

Renovation 1964–1965
Pergolas and pavilions 2017–2018
Green areas 2022–2024

Protection

Kultaranta Park and its formal garden are culturally and historically significant protected areas.
Designated a nationally significant built cultural environment. 2009

The Granite Castle and its Surroundings

Lars Sonck, 1913–1915

The Granite Castle is the main building of Kultaranta and a central landmark, rising at the highest point of the rocky headland. It was completed in 1915 to a design by architect Lars Sonck. The building connects to the surrounding Forest Garden through stone terraces and staircases that blend into the terrain, in a free interpretation of the national romantic ideals of nature.

Basic Information

Years of construction 1913–1915
Architect Lars Sonck
Gross floor area 1 096 m²
Floor area 684 m²
Net floor area 483 m²
Original use Alfred Kordelin's summer residence
Current use Official summer residence of the President of the Republic

Protection

Decree on the Protection of State-owned Buildings (480/1985)

Renovations

1919 (Lars Sonck)  ·  1930 (Gunnar Wahlroos)  ·  1965 (Sirkka Tarumaa)
Modifications and renovations: 1990, 1994, 1998, 2024

Structure

Cladding Natural stone
Frame Brick masonry
Floors Concrete
Roof structure Timber
Roofing Copper