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Founded: 1790sCategory: Religious sites in Finland
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment (Finland)
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Tsasounas are small Orthodox chapels in Carelia and the Russian side of the border. They are typically simple wooden buildings with lot of decoration. The tsasouna of Hattuvaara, built in the 1790s, is the oldest still used tsasouna in Western Europe. During the World War II heavy battles were fought in Hattuvaara, but the tsasouna survived with no damages.
In tsasouna´s yard, there is also a museum outbuilding and an old cemetery. There you can find e.g. a monument of Arhippa Buruskainen, famous poem singer, who lived in 1781-1846. Road of Poem and Border (Runon ja rajan tie) passes by the tsasouna just behind it. The tsasouna open to the public in July.
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.