Kirkkokatu street 20, formerly SYP a Finnish commercial bank building, on the Kirkkokatu street side
It is the first day of December. Christmas elf Briskie has awakened from his summer slumber. He sets off on his patrol from Pekkatori Square. From there, he walks slowly along Kirkkokatu street toward Koulukatu street.
It is the first day of December. Christmas elf Briskie has woken up from his summer slumber and is rubbing his eyes. He decides to set off on his first patrol from Pekkatori Square. From there, it is a pleasant stroll along Kirkkokatu street towards Koulukatu Street (formerly Mentzerinkatu Street).
“This Koulukatu used to be Mentzerinkatu street. He thinks that Mayor Mentzer's name should have been retained.”
Carl Mentzer acquired the rights to Raahe as a market town in 1791. This marked the beginning of Raahe's development, just as it did in the 1960s when Yrjö Reinilä brought Rautaruukki steel mill here. There are Koulukatu streets in just about every town and village but Mentzerinkatu street was only here.
“What has been the motivation for the residents of Raahe to change good street names to other ones, such as Reiponkatu?” Briskie wonders what the idea was behind changing it to Kaivokatu street but is pleased that the residents of Raahe reconsidered and changed the street name back to Reiponkatu.
Yes, the rope makers of the sailing ship era have earned their street”, he thinks emphatically.
Elf Briskie has been working as an elf in Katinhäntä (Cat’s tail) since the sailing ship era, and he will not easily forget that glorious time in the city's history. Nor will he forget his former colleague, elf Slightbrisk, who was forced to take early retirement at the age of only 700 when the change negotiations were held in Korvatunturi.
Elf Briskie stands at the corner of Koulukatu street and Kirkkokatu street, recalling the mid-19th century. Merchant Johan Montin owned two plots of land here. Opposite, on the Kirkkokatu street’s side, were the properties of goldsmith Carl Abraham Hårdhin and merchant Johan Frieman.
Johan Montin is remembered as a councilman and merchant. He had shares in the Durchman company but he was not a major shipowner. He was also a farmer, cultivating fields of rye, barley, and potatoes. His household needed a lot of food, as Montin had nearly twenty heirs.
Opposite Montin, on the corner lot, hat maker Karl Jurvelius ran his shop. On the other corner stood the house of city clerk Zachris Lackström. All gone now. Just like the age of sailing ships. Elf Briskie sighs heavily.
“The first day of December is the hardest day of the year”, he admits. Christmas is still weeks away, and yet he has to report to Santa Claus on people's good and bad behavior. Who can manage to be good all December long?
Elf Briskie is startled out of his memories when his electronic notebook beeps. Library elf Taavetti’s digital assistant, Tuisku, has made an update to the electronic notebook. He had observed the people of Katinhäntä (Cat tale) at the autumn book fair and made notes, which he now transferred to Santa Claus as gift ideas. Clever elf!
Elf Briskie slips back into his thoughts. He smiles as he remembers goldsmith Karl Abraham Hårdhin. The man was small and stout, but in his day he was a respected master craftsman. Gold and silver were transformed into jewelry and everyday objects in his workshop, where his apprentices worked hard to forge and hammer magnificent items. They were perfect for Christmas gifts.
But where is Touho, the elf trainee, wandering? Elf Briskie suspects that the young man has not woken up from his summer slumber but is fast asleep in his home. Tomera sends a message. Tonight's patrol has been a bit rough. But we'll get through it!
The text is based on the map and text published in Samuli Paulaharju's book Wanha Raahe.
Lisätietoja:
Samuli Paulaharju: Wanha Raahe
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