Marttila housing area, Pitäjänmäki

This walk will survey the village for disabled veterans built in Marttila following the Winter War of 1939–1940. The housing area was constructed with funds raised for those injured on the front as well as war widows, Karelian evacuees and others who were forced to leave their houses behind in Hanko. The size of the houses varies between 50–80 m2 and the buildings are representative of the pioneering stage of industrially manufactured homes in Finland. In Marttila, ’Swedish gift houses’ can be found alongside ’type house’ models such as Metsäkoto and Mäntykoto, which were constructed by the Finnish Puutalo company. In addition to these, the Finnish Red Cross built a clubhouse for local inhabitants (´Kerhokoti´). During the walk, we will learn about how these standardised buildings have been modified during the past 80 years, and how the identity of the area has been preserved through generations.