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Matti Riikonen (4 years ago)
Own municipality's church
Own municipality's church
Mari Raittinen (4 years ago)
Beautiful
Beautiful
Kirkkosaari ("The Church Island", also known as Köyliönsaari) is one of the oldest places of residence in Satakunta area. Two Iron Age cemeteries are located at the north side of Kirkkosaari.
According the legend Lalli, the pagan chief of Kirkkosaari manor, killed bishop Henry on the ice of lake Köyliönjärvi on January 20, 1156. Although Henry has never been officially canonized, he has been referred to as a saint since as early as 1296 according to a papal document of the time. After this the manor and island was moved as the property of Turku bishop. Since 1746 the manor has been owned by Cedercreutz family and is still in private use. Present buildings are from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The church of Köyliö has been in Kirkkosaari since the Middle Ages. The present wooden church was built in 1752 to the old cemetery site. There are also some remains of the medieval chapel in Kirkkosaari manor garden.
House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.