St. Laurentius Hill, located next to the church village of Janakkala, is a great travel destination for those who like both nature and culture. As soon as you approach the area, the old Church of St. Lawrence delights with its beautiful silhouette. An old romantic red windmill standing in the foreground of St. Laurentius Hill welcomes the passer-by. The mill is a great location for a photoshoot in both summer and winter.
St. Laurentius Hill combines nature, history, and culture. The area was inhabited by the early people of Tavastia since the 7th century. The area is believed to have been a local cult center during the Iron Age, with numerous ancient tomb discoveries, sacrificial stones, and the spring of St. Lawrence, etc.
Today there lies the Crofter Museum with its authentic buildings which take you back in time to the end of the 19th century. The buildings and the courtyard of the St. Laurentius Hill Croft Museum are truly picturesque, not forgetting the romantic old red windmill and the medieval Church of St. Lawrence next to the museum area.
The signposted nature routes offer a beautiful, rugged scenery, spiced with history. On these nature trails it is easy to find appealing places for children as well. It’s nice to end the excursion day in the St. Laurentius Hill culture cafe Yellow House.
The St. Laurentius Hill Crofter Museum gives an introduction to the lifestyle in 19th century Finland. The Crofter Museum consists of a collection of old buildings that have been restored and located authentically to create a realistic courtyard of a Finnish 19th-century croft. The buildings surrounding the courtyard and the well separated the yard from the animals’ pasture and protected the yard from the wild animals and other uninvited guests.
The Yellow House is a lively culture cafe that operates in a former prayer room built in 1913.
The cosy and atmospheric cultural cafe serves as the ticket office for the Crofter Museum whenever the museum is open. The cafe is also open during other events.
In summer, St. Laurentius Hill is at its busiest. In addition to the nature trail, the area has fun summer events, as well as museum sites that dive deep into the local history. There is a lot of unique history to be seen in St. Laurentius Hill, as the area has been inhabited continuously since the 7th century.
You can find exciting sites along the routes, such as World War I trenches, a sacred grove and a sacrificial spring. The nature trails offer not only hiking, but also a handsome dose of local history.
The ancient place of worship and the sacrificial grove are a memorial to the inhabitants of the Iron Age. The sacrificial ruins on the site are typical of southern Finland and are dated to the years 0–500 AD. In the beliefs of the ancient people, the sacrificial stone by with the sacrificial ruins served to help reconcile spirits and gods.
St. Laurentius Hill is also an outdoor destination worth visiting in the wintertime. The best part of the winter is that you can enjoy such a wide range of winter sports. The cross-country ski trail has a convenient amount of uphill and downhill, and it offers a nice view over the surrounding landscape. The path rises to the top of the rocky Määkynmäki hill, which offers a magnificent view in the direction of Lake Kernaalanjärvi and Hakoinen Castle Hill. Along the nature trail you can find a lean-to shelter where you can relax and barbeque by a campfire.
Adventure on the nature trails of St. Laurentius Hill in the summer and winter. We recommend that you also visit the Crofter Museum, which is open during the summer, as well as the Yellow House cultural cafe and other events.
