The Houses of the Star Fortress – Life in Historical Hamina

According to a historical work, Crown Bailiff and Knight Anders Cajander built a log house at the corner of Rauhankatu and Pikkuympyräkatu in 1849.

The house is the first residential building constructed on this plot and is therefore a rarity. The plot was originally reserved for artillery purposes. The house is a log building, but its lime plaster was applied only 10 years after construction, in 1859. It represents the rare Rococo Revival style in Finland. The site previously hosted the Pskov Regiment's church, which was demolished before the 1790s.

The locals call the building the Arvilommi House, after its long-time owner, land surveyor Justus Arvilommi. The outbuilding (1849) still contains a barn, stable, carriage house, servants' quarters, laundry room, and mangle room, as well as the pharmacy’s ice cellar. On the Rauhankatu side of the house, there was once Hamina's first pharmacy (run by pharmacist Alfons Nymalm).

The house was also used for court sessions under the leadership of its then-owner, district judge Karsten. A scene from the film Päämaja (1970), featuring Tamara Lund as a Lotta, was filmed in this house. After the Interim Peace, a young Estonian avoided deportation to the Soviet Union by reportedly hiding in the building's tall stone foundation, even though a VALPO (Finnish Security Police) detective lived almost across the street.

Today, the house is the home of two families.