On the guided tour of the municipality's museum guide, you will get to know the history of the Kniivilä house and family, as well as the origin of museum activities in Hailuoto. There are plenty of buildings and interesting objects in the area, which you will get to know during the tour, and you will also get to know the history of Hailuoto.

From the museum

Kniivilä is an old farm that has been known since the 17th century. The same family is known to have lived on the farm for at least six generations, starting in the 1740s. In the 1860s, the farm was first divided between the brothers, and the other half was sold outside the family to lighthouse master Ludvig Lalin in 1872. That's when Kniivilä was formed as a courtyard of two households. Kniivilä's residential building was previously located on the west side of the yard. The current house was built on a new site in 1924. The previous residential building used sturdy logs that had been brought from the mainland in the 1830s.

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The last residents of Kniivilä were the unmarried siblings Hanna (1883–1954), Eemeli (1889–1966) and Heikki (1892–1978). They lived a traditional, frugal life on the farm together. The livelihoods were farming and cattle breeding. Kniivilä's sons were known especially as horse breeders.

When Heikki died, the last of his family, in 1978, no heirs could be found. The thrifty Kniiviläs had kept a lot of old things, so the following year the state handed over the house to the municipality of Hailuoto as a local museum. The house's own furniture and objects form a significant part of the museum's collections. Kniivilä has largely been kept the same as it was when the siblings lived.

In the 1930s, public school teacher J.L. Suomela started collecting old objects to use in teaching children. Among other things, old tools, handicrafts and money were deposited in the school's home region collection. Finally, Suomela's collection and donated objects found a place to display in the local museum.

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In addition to the nine buildings that were part of the Kniivilä farm, the outdoor museum area has been expanded by relocating, among other things, the shoemaker's farm with yard buildings, a workshop, fish pens and a windmill. The whole presents the everyday life, means of livelihood and handicraft skills in Hailuoto in a versatile manner.

The entity responsible for the object

Hailuoto Municipality is responsible for the site.

Accessibility

The site is poorly accessible for people with mobility impairments. There are no assistive devices or elevators at the site.