Christmas elf Briskie stops to admire the advent calendar window at the youth center Paradise. In this house, craftsmanship is cherished. Even though everything can be bought ready-made in stores, here handicrafts are still appreciated.
Elf Briskie remembers when this magnificent carpentry-style office building was constructed for the customs office in the early 1900s. The building had wood heating, and water was carried in and out with buckets. The staff of customs office moved to Rantakatu street when the new office building was completed in 1974. Afterward, this building was used for a period as an adult education center.
When the Women's home economics school, founded by Madam Sofia Lybecker in 1844, expanded its activities and needed more space, the students of handicrafts moved into the renovated premises in the old customs building in the fall of 1979.
Briskie the Elf notices from the corner of his eye that Grandma Elviira has mounted her kicksled and is heading towards the quarters of Yritysperä with a zippy double kick. She's been to buy fresh fish from fishmonger Männistö and is now going to her sister's place to prepare the catch for lunch. The siblings craft products together for the Christmas market. Elviira is a skilled artisan who attended Sofia Lybecker's school in her youth.
More information in Finnish
Auli Kananen, Eija Turunen: Lybecker 150 vuotta
Back to the front page of the Old Town Raahe Advent Calendar