Villa Hvitträsk

Architects: Eliel Saarinen, (partners) Herman Gesellius and Armas Lindgren. Built: 1901-1904

This private building, built to be the family home of its architect, is an excellent example of Finland's National Romantic style. The style took much of its inspiration from an epic poem called "Kalevala" (a collection of Finnish folklore that Elias Lönnrot put to verse and first published in 1835). Th Villa's architecture is a subtle blend of the philosophy of John Ruskin and William Morris, late 19th century Romanticism, and traditional Finnish building materials, methods, and spirit. It also contained a healthy dose of Jugendstil, the Germanic and Scandinavian version of Art Nouveau. According to the heavily forested and rocky surroundings, the materials used for this building are stone, plaster and shingles.