Bomba House

The original Bomba house stood in Suojarvi in Karelia and was built at the end of the nineteenth century by a farmer whose family gave it its name, a large two-storey log building of the kind found in the region. The house was lost, and in 1978 a full-scale replica was built at Nurmes from the surviving drawings and photographs, on a slope above Lake Pielinen, as a restaurant and centre for Karelian culture. Around it a village of log buildings has grown with a spa hotel, shops and accommodation. The food is the substantial reason to come: Karelian dishes served from a large table, including pasties, stews and pies.

What you actually see

• A replica Karelian log house - the 1978 rebuilding from drawings.
• Karelian food served from the table - pasties, stews and pies.
• The log village around it - the buildings added since.
• Lake Pielinen below - the water the site looks over.

When to go

June to August for the fullest operation; the hotel and restaurant run year round with reduced programmes. Half a day. Book the restaurant in high summer.

Honest expectations

It is a modern reconstruction and a commercial resort rather than a historic site. The cultural programme is aimed at coach groups. Out of season much of the village is quiet or closed. Nurmes is a long way from other destinations.

Nearby

Nurmes is east; Koli lies south along the lake.