History of Ilkko Conference Centre

Ilkko Conference Centre is located twelve kilometres to the east of Tampere in Kangasala, on the shores of Pitkäjärvi Lake in southwest Finland. In earlier times Pitkäjärvi Lake was a part of the Kaukajärvi Lake. Ilkko has a stunning glacial ridge landscape and there is a 40-metre drop from the Ilkko cliffs into the lake.

There are many farms, estates and places with the name of Ilkko all over Finland. Nobody named Ilkko has officially lived in this region according to records, so it is believed that the name might derive from the nickname of some influential person. The merchant Jaakko Ilkka, who in Finnish history is infamous as the leader of the peasants’ rebellion in the Cudgel War, is known to have hidden at the base of the Ilkko gorge. Jaakko suffered defeat against Klaus Fleming in the battle of Nokia on New Year’s Day in 1597 and he was captured a few weeks later in Ostrobothnia and executed.

Ilkko’s Wanha Villa was constructed in art nouveau style by Tampere factory owner Atte Wikholm, who was enchanted by the beautiful landscape. Mr Wikholm often travelled from Tampere to Kangasala by bicycle and he once stopped off to rest on the cliffs of Pitkäjärvi en route from a party given by the volunteer fire department. The scenery captivated the young gentleman’s heart and he decided to build himself a hunting lodge on the cliffs. The lodge was most likely completed in 1899, making it more than one hundred years old today. The earliest remaining plans of the Wanha Villa date from 1924, when some renovations were evidently made.

Mr Wikholm’s lodge was adapted for winter living even though the building was mainly used for daytrips in summer. A gingerbread cottage was constructed by Mr Wikholm amongst the birch trees for the mistress of the house, and now the renovated building is Tuula’s Cottage. Mr Wikholm decorated the lodge with stuffed birds and an enormous birdcage still remains in the garden as a memento of the original hunting lodge. He also decorated his lodge with a traditional Finnish rug that was most likely made in the town of Lempäälä, illustrating wild birds of the forest. The rug is on display in the assembly hall of the main house today. All of Wanha Villa’s adornments, such as the light in the entrance hall, and both preserved stone wells were made by Mr Wikholm in 1926.

In 1942, Mr Wikholm sold Ilkko to an engineer named Qveflander and Ilkko was owned by the Qveflander family for the next ten years. An air force supply base was established in the Ilkko area (1940-1980) by the military orders of the air force on 15 April 1940. The supply base included a warehouse and workshop for communications, photographic and navigation equipment and later also parachutes. Military officers were accommodated in Wanha Villa in 1940. When the war ended the base was closed down and in 1950 an air defence battery moved to Ilkko’s military base, which was subsequently relocated to Oulu in 1980. A traditional cannon was unveiled prior to the move (located on the right at the Ilkontie crossroad when you come from Tampere).

Continued on next page