Kirkkokari-island
According to tradition
Lalli
murdered Bishop Henry in the North end of Lake Köyliönjärvi,
near Kirkkokari-island, which is also known as St. Henry’s Island.
The first church in Köyliö stood on the island. The church was
in use till the 1420s. A memorial stone was erected on the spot
in 1955 to commemorate the arrival of Christianity in Finland.
Nowadays Kirkkokari is the only place of pilgrimage
for the Roman Catholic Church in the North. A Catholic memorial mass
is held on the island every year on the Sunday closest to the 18th
of June and Midsummer.
The Köyliö Church
A two kilometer long lush birch alley leads
from Köyliö’s Kepola municipal center to Kirkkosaari. The church
stands among ancient pines in the middle of the old cemetery.
It was completed in 1752, and in 1890 the current belfry was built
high enough to be seen from all over the parish. On the lakeside
of Kirkkosaari-island are the Priest’s stairs, (Papinportaat)
that the pastor could walk up when coming from the vicarage located on the mainland.
The Tuiskula Croft Museum
Many old buildings have survived in the village
of Tuiskula on the banks of River Köyliönjoki. The Tuiskula Croft Museum
exhibits the history of agriculture in Finland. The first building
that was moved to the place is an old traditional balcony access
block from Rantala in Köyliö’s Kankaanpää. A soldier’s croft,
a smithy, a woodshed and the Ojala croft from Tuiskula were acquired later.
The Ojala croft has been furnished in the original manner.
The collections of the museum cover about two thousand listed objects,
most of which were collected by the “father” of the museum,
the smith of Tuiskula, Frans Johannes Bärling (1858–1940).
The Tuiskula open-air summer theatre
has been performing historical plays with regional themes
since 1974 at the Tuiskula Croft Museum. The operation’s
over-arching idea has been to present the folk traditions
of Köyliö and the Satakunta region in as an authentic manner
as possible, and to describe old customs and times with accuracy.
Kuninkaanlähde-spring
The 1.5 hectare Kuninkaanlähde-spring (the King’s Spring)
is in Köyliö’s Kankaanpää. A log mill from the 19th century stands
by the spring. The spring was named after an event at Midsummer
in 1775, when the king of Sweden-Finland, Gustav III, visited the village.
In those days a military camp was located in Kankaanpää,
and the King had arrived to inspect the Royal Life Dragoon Regiment’s exercises.
It is said that during the Midsummer festivities
that year, two royal lifeguards, Grüner and Stierneld,
had a disagreement over a young woman. The men dueled
by the spring, and the 24-year-old Grüner was mortally wounded.
After his death, he was buried under the floor of Köyliö Church.
St. Henry’s route
The ancient road from Köyliö to Nousiainen
has been known as Saint Henry’s route (Pyhän Henrikin tie)
throughout the centuries. It was named after Bishop Henry’s
funeral procession. The 140 kilometer hiking route
was taken into use in the summer of 1979, and its course
has been marked with plastic ribbons.
Along the route, in the village of Yttilä,
is the School Museum. It is Köyliö’s first school building
and was completed in 1881. Today, the school functions as
a gathering place for the villagers and one of the classrooms
has been preserved as a museum.
Ystävykset – Friends
Emil Cedercreutz (bronze)
Ystävykset – Friends is a bronze bust of a man
leaning on a horse’s head, with his hand under the horse’s muzzle.
The sculpture conveys the message of friendship and co-operation.
Emil Cedercreutz’s Ystävykset – Friends statue now stands,
beautiful and proud, in front of the town hall in Kepola, Köyliö.
The bust reminds the future generations of the artist and his
love for horses and the people of the Satakunta region.
[PICTURE:]
For the work of past generations.
Köyliö-Seura Society
Municipality of Köyliö.
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