Rajakartano lives the history and present of the village of Möhkö

From the mid-19th century, Möhkö grew into a different habitat from the other villages of Ilomantsi, where people made their living by cultivating land and tending cattle. At that time, an entrepreneur came to Möhkö and started to process the lake ore found in the district into iron, for which there was a growing demand. In many ways, the foundry was progressive and took care of its workers, who moved to the village in search of a better life. Among other things, a school was established for the workers as early as the late 1850s and a folk school as early as the 1860s.

The reasons for establishing the foundry at Möhkö were, in addition to the discovery of ore, the existence of good waterways, hydroelectric power and large forests that provided the softwood charcoal needed for iron reduction. A suitable location for the coal works was in the eastern corner of the village, along the Koitajoki River, by the pine forests. The air in the area was thick with smoke, the soot resembled the surroundings, and the place was named Black Ear. It is easy to imagine what the workers looked like after burning coal silos all day long. This work was done family by family, as it involved felling, transporting and charring trees. The finished coal was taken to the potter’s yard on horses. In the soil of the Black Orchard, and especially in the area of the present-day Rajakartano, there are still layers of coal of varying thickness in the soil. This past has brought smoked dishes, such as charcoal and smoked fish, to the Rajakartano menu. Iron production in Möhkö ceased in the early years of the 20th century, as it became more profitable elsewhere with the development of new technology. The forests were taken over by a large forestry company.

The Winter War crippled the lives of the Möhkö people. The inhabitants of the northern side of the Koitajoki River burned their homes when they evacuated. Only the main building of the pottery remained unburned. Soviet soldiers occupied the village and took advantage of everything they could. For more than three frosty months, the enemy’s dug-outs, trenches and potsherds in various parts of the village and near Rajakartano still bear witness to those hard times.- For about 10 years, Rajakartano, which opened in the early 2000s, was visited annually by war veterans to remember those hard times and to lay a wreath on the monument to the 21st Brigade. Their visits will always be remembered with nostalgia and appreciation. The key battlefields and monuments of Ilomants during the recent wars have been compiled into a Warfare programme.

After the last wars, the Soviet border was moved to Möhkö, where the Koitajoki became a border river. Thus came the need to establish a border guard in Möhkö. At first it operated in several different premises in the village, until in 1956 a border guard station with its own buildings was established in Mustakorpi, on the site of the former coal mines. The border with the neighbouring country was two kilometres away. The villagers were at first reluctant to accept border guards, mainly from elsewhere. The border guards checked identity papers, and their presence and different behaviour made the locals uneasy. The worst nightmare for the young men was that the girls in the village ‘got’ to be the wives of the border guards. Soon enough, the frontiersmen became the support and security of the village and no one liked the fact that the frontiersmen’s base at Möhkö was later closed down. The border guard station became the Old Guard, the residence of the border guards’ families, when the new guard station on the main road opened in the early 1990s. In 2001, an extensive renovation and construction started for tourist use.

Rajakartano has been operating as an apartment hotel since 2002. Individually decorated with Finnish products, the apartments, two-bedrooms, one-bedrooms and suites have given our guests sweet dreams in the seclusion of the village and the silence of the forest. The smoky waters of the Koitajoki riverside sauna have softened strained muscles and opened the mind’s corkscrews. Food ingredients sourced from the local nature and producers of the manor are transformed into rural gourmet in our kitchen, taking into account the different needs and wishes of our customers. In baking, we use our own spelt, a wheat from our own farm. We were invited to join the Karelia à la carte network early on.

Möhkö is a tourist experience in itself: the easternmost village in the country and the entire EU, with its pots, its war history and its hospitable inhabitants and entrepreneurs. The multi-stranded Koitajoki River is being transformed into a salmon river as restoration work progresses. A path leads to Petkeljärvi National Park from Möhkö, which can be reached by car in a few minutes. The Möhkönvaara observation tower is a favourite spot for many birdwatchers.

Guides with language skills are available for nature trips. Cooking and tasting ingredients you have found in the wild with a skilled chef is a great addition to your experience.

In addition to accommodation, sauna and meals, Rajakartano’s services include art camps, meetings and family parties. Events for more than 10 people are mostly private functions.

An important part of Rajakartano’s story is our wonderful customers, many of whom come back, send postcards and recommend the cosy nature destination to their friends. Motorcyclists bring our estate to life in the summer. The hum of the bikes is music to the ears. In recent years, cyclists have found their way to the estate alone or together, even across Finland, covering a good 700 kilometres in three days.

Business travellers enjoy a change from staying in hotels, relaxing in peace and quiet and preparing for the day ahead with a good night’s sleep. Four years ago, a gentleman came from Central Europe for a week. When he arrived, he said that if he enjoyed himself, the business would last a long time. His assignment was a three-year pleasure without the hustle and bustle, but also without the use of a room key. Now that’s freedom!