Marela home museum
The name Marela derives from Abraham Marelin, who owned the house at the end of the 18th century. He was a tradesman and a shipowner, as were the later owners of the house. The shape of the lot and most of the buildings are from the ownership era of the Paqvalin-family, which lasted for almost a hundred years. The neighbouring lot, Jäkäri, was attached to the original lot and in 1825 the new main building was completed.
The large granary is from the year 1830. The carriage shed next to it was built in the mid 18 hundreds. From the 1830’s is also the other roadside building, which originally had storage rooms, as well as the row of outbuildings, which consists of the stable, cowshed and woodshed. During a later renovation a bakery and workers’ quarters were added.
The present exterior of the main building is from the end of the 19th century. It was then that the house got its splendid Neo Renaissance-siding. During the same time period renovations were made in other parts of the town as well, so that approximately two thirds of the houses got a new, fashionable look. Wealth was brought by the flourishing sailing ship trade era of the 1890’s.
During that time Marela was owned by one of the wealthiest tradesmen and shipowners of the town, Mr. Gabriel Granlund. The decorative tile stoves, the doors, the paintings on the ceilings, and the panelwork reveal the wealth and the museum furnishing the lifestyle of the old shipowner family. Wealthy townspeople, such as the Marela residents, were those who regularly supported lace makers with limited income by buying laces for their linens.
Marela has operated as a museum since the beginning of the 1980’s.
