Historic Resort
Questionnaire
Year erected: 1658
What is the history of the property?
Since the year 1685 the Heiskanen family has provided travelers visiting Porosalmi in the northern part of beautiful Lake Saimaa with exceptional hospitality and services. In the beginning, a strong incentive for establishing the resort was an agreement between the Czar of Russia and the King of Sweden to build and maintain a road (an ice road during winter) through Finland. At the time, it was stipulated that a location for feeding horses and to accommodate travelers would need to be established at 30 km intervals along the way. Porosalmi just happened to be located in one of these places.
Tapio and Eila Heiskanen had four sons who all grew up in Porosalmi and one of the sons, Jari Heiskanen, formed Järvisydän with his wife Raija. Jari and Raija had two children, one of them son Markus Heiskanen who at the beginning of 21st century started to host Järvisydän. He is now keeping a guest house in 11th generation.
Markus as young and eager host has built some more villas, hotel, Finnish Sauna World, tepee restaurant, Restaurant Piikatyttö and Wine Cellar, new Lotjabaari - boat bar, a reception area, the Lake Spa and who knows what other plans there are in the head of Markus...
But despite all enlargements, closest to the heart of the host Markus and the whole Järvisydän household is still the beautiful nature of Porosalmi – in the first place because of it people come to Porosalmi and that’s why the household of Järvisydän still wants to take their guests to the nature to hear stories about its secrets and living in the old times in Porosalmi.
Would you describe your property as (or has it ever been in the past) a: Old restaurant
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