Petäjävesi Old Church


World Heritage Identification Number: 584

World Heritage since: 1994

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇫🇮 Finland

Continent: Europe

UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America

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Petäjävesi Old Church: A Unique Testimony of Wooden Church Architecture in Finland

The Petäjävesi Old Church, nestled in the picturesque town of Petäjävesi in central Finland, stands as a remarkable testament to the rich architectural heritage of the Nordic countries. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994, this wooden church offers a fascinating glimpse into the past, blending elements of Renaissance design with older forms derived from Gothic groin vaults.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Petäjävesi Old Church, in central Finland, was built of logs between 1763 and 1765. This Lutheran country church is a typical example of an architectural tradition that is unique to eastern Scandinavia. It combines the Renaissance conception of a centrally planned church with older forms deriving from Gothic groin vaults.

Encyclopedia Record: Petäjävesi Old Church

The Petäjävesi Old Church is a wooden church located in Petäjävesi, Finland. It was built between 1763 and 1765, when Tavastia was still a part of Sweden. The bell tower was built in 1821. It was inscribed in 1994 on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its testimony to the wooden church architecture of the Nordic countries.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 2.98 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape

Coordinates: 62.25 , 25.18333

Image

Image of Petäjävesi Old Church

© Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Verla Groundwood and Board Mill
153 km — Finland
Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki
219 km — Finland
High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago
229 km — Finland, Sweden
Old Rauma
230 km — Finland
Fortress of Suomenlinna
234 km — Finland

Country Information: Finland

Flag of Finland

Official Name: Republic of Finland

Capital: Helsinki

Continent: Europe

Population (2024): 5,637,214

Population (2023): 5,583,911

Population (2022): 5,556,106

Land Area: 303,950 sq km

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Petäjävesi Old Church are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Petäjävesi Old Church, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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