The Old Church of Petäjävesi (Unesco)

The Old Church of Petäjävesi was marked as a UNESCO World Heritage landmark in 1994 as an excellent example of a Lutheran church built of logs. It is a typical example of an architectural tradition unique to eastern Scandinavia.

The old church at Petäjävesi was built in 1763-1764 under the instruction of master builder Jaakko Klemetinpoika Leppänen to act as a village church in the parish of Jämsä; the dedication did not, however, take place until 1778.

The church was no longer used after 1879 when a new church was constructed. Nowadays the Old Church at Petäjävesi is used for worship on summer Sundays and is one of the Finland’s most well loved churches for weddings.