The area is managed by Metsähallitus
The heart of Telkkämäki Nature Reserve is the unique Telkkämäki slash-and-burn heritage farm at Kaavi. The estate is farmed using traditional farming methods and the smoke from slash-and-burn fires still rise into the Savo sky during summertime.
Visitors get a feeling for the olden times even before arriving on the grounds of the farm, because the road leading there is lined by picket fences. There has been a farm at Telkkämäki even before the Great Divide, which began in 1749. The Telkkämäki plot was officially severed from Mustolanmäki estate in the 1870s when Matti Mustonen, the son of the Mustolanmäki estate owner, moved there.
The building which is today the main house at the farm was built in the late 1800s. The house has been restored to what it was like in the early 1900s. In addition to the main building the grounds also include a barn, a drying barn, granaries, and a smoke sauna. And in addition to these buildings, which have turned a beautiful shade of grey, the grounds contain the animals which graze there. During summer the pastures are inhabited by indigenous sheep, cows chickens and horses.
Thanks to grazing and reaping the grounds of the farm at Telkkämäki have remained beautiful meadows. Just after a few years' grazing an increase in the amount and diversity of meadow species was evident at Telkkämäki.
Directions and Maps
Electronic Maps
- Excursionmap.fi of Metsähallitus
Services
- For information on services at Telkkämäki Heritage farm see the Telkkämäki Nature Reserve pages.
Events
- Public events centred on slash-and-burn agriculture are arranged at Telkkämäki annually; these events include slash-and-burn fires, sowing turnips and rye, as well as, threshing rye in the drying barn, harvesting turnips and a Puskasoitto concert.
Nature Trails
- There are two, short nature trail in the area, which are both under 2 km long and lead through olden and modern slash-and-burn landscape.
This is the webpage www.nationalparks.fi/telkkamakiheritagefarm
