From manor to conference hotel
The first owner of Gustavelund from 1540 to 1558 was Sipi Jaakonpoika, and subsequent owners included the renowned military families Ehrnrooth, Spåre and De la Gardie. At that time the place was known as Eggertas Manor. The manor was given the name Gustavelund in the 18th century after the wife of the then owner, Rear Admiral Karl Adolf Dankvard.
The main building of the estate was designed by the famous architect Carl Ludvig Engel. The original main building burned down in 1892 and was replaced by a new building in “Engel’s style”. An imposing gateway with four pillars stood at the entrance to the estate. From there, a birch-lined driveway led to the white Empire-style main building.
The period 1917 to 1930 was Gustavelund’s heyday. The then owner, Karl Edvard Jonsson, grew fruit and vegetables in the large greenhouses and gardens for sale to restaurants. In 1933 Rafael Sederholm, LLM and his wife Viola opened a hotel, which flourished until the 1950s. Even in the 1930s Gustavelund was a popular place for excursions by residents of Helsinki.
In 1956 Gustavelund was acquired by the Union of Finnish Rural Municipalities, which turned it into a course centre. Later on, in 1965, it became the Local Government College.
The old manor house (picture) was demolished in 1964 and was replaced by the present white main building, designed by the architect Into Pyykkö. It has been enlarged over the years, and a separate hotel section and lakeside building have been added. The original manor’s summerhouse still stands, however, and offers a shaded resting place in the grounds of Gustavelund.