Isa Asp Statue, Puolanka Church Park, Koulukatu 1
Isa Asp has the distinction of being the first woman poet ever to write in Finnish. Although she died at the tragically early age of 19, she left a substantial literary legacy. A bronze statue of Isa Asp by sculptor Niilo Rikula was unveiled in Puolanka Church Park on the 130th anniversary of her death in 2002. The memory of Isa Asp is honored annually on May Day Eve, as a student cap is placed on the statue’s head. In November, on the day of Isa Asp’s passing, a candlelight procession of schoolchildren visits the statue and visits the Kukkula house to learn about Isa ’s life and work.