See & Do in Puolanka

Isa Asp was the first child of Jaakko Asp, an iron works clerk, and his wife Brita Liisa (Puhakka). She was born in the village of Niska in Utajärvi, where her father Jaakko worked as a clerk for the ironworks. Both the ironworks of Kurimo and Ämmä, where Isa Asp’s father had worked at, went one by one bankrupt. At  that point, Isa Asp’s father bought the Parola farm in Puolanka. Also Isa Asp lived there until leaving to study in the Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary.  In 1872, Isa Asp sadly died in Jyväskylä of tuberculosis. Although she died at the tragically early age of 19, she left behind approximately 100 lyrical poems, from which the most known is ”Lullaby to a Wave”. Isa Asp has the distinction of being the first woman poet ever to write in Finnish. and she definitely left a substantial literary legacy. You can’t find the house Isa Asp lived in anymore in Puolanka. Her memory and her literary legacy are still  cherished in the region.

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.

Kiiskilä Vicarage, Kiiskilänkatu 9

Isa Asp’s parents moved from Suomussalmi to Puolanka in 1870, to a house called Parola. In the same year, the family of vicar Thauvón, also moved to the area, to the Kiiskilä vicarage. Young poet Isa Asp was a friend of the daughter of the family and frequently visited the vicarage. The vicarage, built in 1827, also housed Elias Lönnrot on one of his trips.

Parola Farm Storehouses, Parolantie

“Quiet and modest stands our home [Parola] on a calm lake, surrounded by flowering meadows; high hills solemnly line the horizon in all directions.”  Both the ironworks of Kurimo and Ämmä, where Isa Asp’s father had worked at, went bankrupt, one by one. At  that point, Isa Asp’s father bought the Parola farm in Puolanka. Also Isa Asp lived there until leaving to study in the Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary. The house is gone already, but the original wooden storehouses may still be found from the farmyard.

Visit the Sites!

On this map, we have pinpointed the sites of interest mentioned above. By clicking the signs on the map, you’ll find a short description of the site.