Welcome to Ainola!
We are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am. to 5 pm. The museum will be closed for the winter season on the 29th of September.
Ainola is located close to Lake Tuusula in Järvenpää, about 30 minutes drive from the Finnish capital, Helsinki. It was the home of Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) and and Aino Sibelius (1871-1969) and their family from 1904 until 1969, for 65 years. The timber-built villa was designed by the famous Finnish architect Lars Sonck (1870-1956). The location and distance from the hustle and bustle of the nation’s capital gave the composer the peace that he needed for his creative endeavours, while other artist´s families living in the neighbourhood provided the family a lively social circle of friends and relatives.
The log-built sauna, designed by Jean’s wife Aino Sibelius, was completed in 1905. Aino Sibelius was an avid gardener and the fruit trees, berry bushes and flowers she planted in the garden are carefully maintained. Sibelius’s grave is located in the southern part of the plot, sheltered by apple trees.
The daughters of Jean and Aino Sibelius sold Ainola to the Finnish State in 1972 and the house was opened as a museum in 1974. Currently Ainola is a special museum under the auspices of the National Board of Antiquities. The Ainola Foundation administers the property in this capacity.
Cafe Aulis serves vistors delicious home-baked pastries and cakes, coffee and tea and other refreshments. It is located in a modern building by Aulis Blomstedt (1974) that houses also the museum information desk and the museum shop.
