Labour of love: a 19th-century railway station restored to former glory This little hidden gem has amassed a loyal visitor base purely through word of mouth. Located in the countryside idyll of the South Karelia region of Finland, the old railway station was neglected and deserted, until a couple set out on an ambitious mission to rescue it – and turned it into a thriving small community, along with a boutique B&B, café and shop. By Ndéla Faye
| Photos: Pulsa Station
In 2014, Petra and Lasse Karjalainen set out on a mission: to save the run-down and deserted old railway station of Pulsa, located around 20 kilometres from the city of Lappeenranta. The railway station has a long and colourful history. In the 1870s, due to its proximity to Lappeenranta, Pulsa was a very busy transport hub for travellers journeying between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. The railway connection in Pulsa was opened in 1870 – and the remote village became instrumental in the rapid development of the industrial world. “By the standards of the time, you could travel to the other side of Europe quickly by train, and at the end of the 19th centu44 |
Issue 150
|
January 2023
ry and the beginning of the 20th century, Pulsa was in its heyday. Several famous paintings were painted here, such as the well-known Golden Age painting Mother by artist Elin Danielson-Gambogi, whose
sister lived at Pulsa Station,” Petra Karjalainen explains. The railway station comprises 20 buildings, including seven apartments that used to house the station workers. The buildings have had many functions throughout the years. At one point, they served as a rehabilitation residence for alcoholics. For many years, the station buildings stood uninhabited, but they were still in fairly good condition. “The people of the region no longer needed Pulsa’s station village, but to us, it seemed like the village needed them,” Petra says with a smile. Today, the station buildings have been lovingly restored to their former glory, and Petra and Lasse have turned them into a shop, café and boutique B&B. And so began a seemingly endless renovation project, which is purely a labour of love. “We are not doing this to make a profit. All the money we make goes into