Outside the current center of the town we were in, was the former center. It was badly damaged in the second world war, and although it was rebuilt, the services and population soon started to concentrate to the new center by a highway.
A school was built to a very central location in this village in the late 1940’s. It soon became too small and was enlarged in the 1950’s.
As the town had a very large area, the distance to the school was pretty long from many villages. That’s why in the late 1960’s they built a large dormitory and a bit later they added a new building, which was called the kansalaiskoulu (citizen school). I didn’t find a translation for it and I’m not quite sure what it was, but it was mandatory for pupils, who didn’t go to middle school after primary school before the school reform in the 1970’s. It was mainly a vocational school.
The complex was enlarged with two chain houses for teachers and a secondary school even later on. It occupied a huge area.
Like all small rural towns, the decline in the population started decades ago and has been extremely steep. Less than half of it is left, and the ones, who stayed were the older people, while youth flocked away. The result was, that the town soon had way too many schools and way too little pupils.
The dormitory was converted to a new use, but was abandoned due to bad condition years ago. The old primary school was abandoned in 2016 and the extremely beautiful old building was demolished along with the dormitory and one of the chain houses for teachers.
This is the former citizen school. When completed it was one of the largest school buildings in the region. We’re not quite sure if it is abandoned, but it doesn’t look to have much life in it, either.
This doesn’t look like an active school.
That there is a model of the village before the wars. Like the whole building, it has also suffered of vandalism.
This doesn’t look like an active school either.
But then on the other hand there has been pretty little vandalism. The building is also not on the list of the town’s buildings to be demolished. The town is currently discussing what to do with the building. The power station is still in use and provides heat for the village.
According to the town’s documents, the building is at least partly rented out, but there was no sign of activity.
I hope they don’t charge too high rent for a building with duct-taped windows.
There is the former secondary school building vanishing. The only ones left standing of the complex are the former citizen school and one of the teachers’ chain houses. The town plans to build a park in the area, as there is no need for new buildings.