The trespassing forbidden sign is in Russian, so you probably already guess, that I’m in another location, which I found thanks to the article I mentioned in the previous post.
This time it’s a holiday village founded in 1967 by a local entrepreneur. In its heyday there were up to 70 000 visitors a year, 140 cabins and an own railway stop for tourists. The restaurant of the holiday village was the most popular disco in the area.
When the 1990’s came, the best days were over. People wanted higher standards than small cabins and shared showers. The village ended up in the ownership of a consulting company, after that another owner, a Russian entrepreneur with close ties to president Putin bought it in 2007.
Initially things looked good. The owner started constructing eight luxury villas in the area. There were several issues with following Finnish regulations, and the authorities made an inspection to the area. The Estonian, Latvian and Russian workers lacked working permissions, ID documents, proper working equipment and insurance. There was also no supervisor, no documents on salaries, company time or holidays. They didn’t pay the wages required by the collective agreement, neider did they provide occupational health care, which is mandatory in the law.
Only one of the villas was completed. A worker in the owner’s company lived there, but moved away. The holiday village wasn’t open a single day after the purchase. And during the following 15 years it had been badly vandalized.
Here’s the main building. Somebody has brought in a banner sending greetings to the owner. They can’t be misinterpreted.
This was what domestic tourism looked way back in my childhood.
There’s been a restaurant and a pub in the main building.
And the main building really was large.
The road deeper to the area was closed with metal chains. Notice the beautiful Volvo behind the gates. Back in the 1990’s cars like that probably crowded the parking lot.
There were a few log cabins on the yard. I wonder, if these are the original 1960’s cabins, which became too outdated to be profitable.
The inside was a mess.
But the answer probably was yes.
Approaching the main building again, and there’s a door, which has lost its windows.
And so I am inside a dressing room. This probably has been the staff entrance.
Moving deeper. This one looks like a storage room.
A lovely vintage curtain. And yet another Christmas tree.
This room looks like an apartment. This is just a guess, but maybe some of the staff actually lived in the holiday village.
Another small room with a bed.
And another similar room. I think my theory has some point.
Access to the kitchen. The blue of the walls is one of my all time favorite colors.
But instead of the kitchen, let’s first visit a lounge with sofas and a pool table.
And moving on from the lounge to the front desk.
And welcome to the reception.
Those look like ski boots and a childrend’s storybook.
This has probably been the office of the company running the village.
The story will continue.