The time to reveal more details about myself has come.
I moved to Northern Finland from my home town back in 2009 to study. My intention was always to get a degree in journalism as quickly as possible and then return to my home town to work in the local newspaper.
I studied so hard, that it was evident after two years, that I would complete my four year degree in three years. That was when the crisis hit me. I realized, that I would graduate at 23, but wasn’t ready to grow up and start real work. I applied for a media production degree in the same school and while I completed that degree also in three years, I worked part-time at the local newspaper.
When I graduated for the second time in 2014, I had completed two 4-year degrees in a total of 5 years. I was the editor in chief of the student union magazine, I had been awarded the person of the year title in the school and been awarded an honorary badge by the student union of the whole school. I was later given honorary membership by the student union of the school of media and performing arts.
I was admitted to doing a master’s degree in journalism in the most prestigious university in the country, but never went there. Instead I worked at the local newspaper and spent my days off hanging around at my old school. When they launched a master’s degree in culture production and creative industries, I applied stating in my application that I would be the first person to complete it.
And I was. When my last lectures came, the whole class was treated with sparkling wine to celebrate. When I announced that I was finally leaving the school, a goodbye party was arranged by the teachers and staff. I left with another honorary badge by the student union. I was called a living legend in goodbye speaches.
During this time I had developed a strong bond with the teachers and staff. When I announced that I was moving to the capital region in 2019, they arranged another goodbye party.
And when my old teachers realized that I was touring Finland, the head of the school of media and performing arts and her husband, a music teacher in our school and a composer, invited me over to their summerplace. It was located on a small island in Eastern Finland. They hosted me for an evening, made a delicious grilled salmon dinner and warmed their lakeside sauna for me. It was a wonderful evening in great company.
When I left the following morning, I drove to the center of the municipality, where their summerplace was located. And I immediately spotted something interesting and a type of location previously unseen.
This here is a former government office building. When completed in the 1970’s it hosted the tax office, the employment office, the social security office, the police department and the post office. They all have since moved away. Now there’s just an empty building.
Several of the green facade elements have fallen off.
Interesting architectural details.
And indeed the building’s architecture was quite interesting.
There had been a lunch restaurant called “Esther’s bait’. I found that quite funny. When we say it’s raining heavily in Finland, we say that it’s raining like from the ass of Esther. I guess, that’s the bait.
There were a few windows missing downstairs, which allowed good photos. This kitchen is surprisingly green.
Basically I could have entered. But there was a busy supermarket behind me and all the retirees and summer holiday spenders of the village were shopping at the moment. I was easily seen.
So I went on touring the property.
There were advertisments by a global property company informing, that there was space to let. In reality the electricity, water and heating of the building had been cut off, and there would probably never be any use for the building again.
If I remember correctly what I was told, this corner of the building once housed the post office.
The courtyard of the building.
The stairs leading from the main street to the courtyard. This building has really been monumental in the village, when it was built.
And stairs leading up to the balcony on the second floor with a wheelchair ramp.
I really wanted to get inside, but the traffic on the supermarket parking lot made me uneasy because all of the people. The town hall was nearby, so I decided to just walk there and ask, if they owned the property, and would grant me permission to go inside. I went there, explained to the person in the lobby, that I was an urban explorer and wanted to visit the building. I explained, that I could go through the window, but felt uneasy because of all the people.
The following exchange occured in a very thick Finnish dialect customary to the area. I will first post it in Finnish, so that my Finnish followers will understand the absurdity of the situation, because the dialect will make every situation absurd. The transcription to English will follow later.
Virkailija huutaa takahuoneeseen: “*Nimi*, omistettaanko myö tuo virastotalo?”
Takahuone: “Ei.”
Virkailija: “Minä oon pahoillani, ei voija auttaa. Sinun pittää männä ikkunasta.”
And in English:
Clerk shouts to the back room: “*Name*, do we own that building?”
Back room: “No.”
Clerk: “I’m sorry. You’ll just have to go through the window.”
And so I returned.
The issue was, that there was an old Volvo, similar to mine, standing at the parking lot. The driver was looking directly at me. I decided to take some more external photos while waiting for them to go away.
So another view from the back side it is.
And another view from this side.
Another view through this window.
And another one of the green kitchen. The old man in the Volvo still didn’t go away.
So I returned to the courtyard.
And took a photo of what once was the post office.
And even went to the balcony.
As you can see, I’m again very well equipped for an exploration. And as you can see, the mosquito season is here.
The view through another broken window. The kitchen probably is original from the 1970’s.
And a view from the back. As you can see, the green facade of the building weren’t made of plastic. They were of glass or some ceramic material.
The guy in the Volvo still hadn’t stopped staring at me. My options were gone, so I walked up to the car and asked the old man, what this building had originally been.
He said, that he was curious as to why somebody would be paying attention to a ruin like this. He told me the history of the building and all the offices located in it. I told him about my urbex hobby and even complimented his car, which he had bought as new in 1994.
And when I was sure, that he wouldn’t call the police, I sat down on the board of a broken window, and climbed inside.