The museumized cottage of C. A. Gottlund—collector of Juva folk poetry and traditions and a contemporary of Elias Lönnrot.

The cottage, dating from the early 19th century, is the only surviving building of the old rectory in Juva. According to family tradition, Kaarle Akseli Gottlund (1796–1875)—son of Juva’s then-vicar Mattias Gottlund and at that time a student—had Juva locals sing here. In 1815–1816 he collected a significant number of poems and other folk traditions. Gottlund also undertook research journeys to the settlements of the Forest Finns in Sweden.

Originally the cottage included at least an entrance hall, which has since been removed. The stove is clearly of more recent construction. In front of the cottage stands a memorial stone to Juva’s poem-singers, erected in 1985. The surroundings are part of the former large rectory garden.

The area around Gottlund’s cottage is accessible year-round. In 2025 the cottage will be open to the public from July 1 to July 6, 11 AM–3 PM, with various cultural events such as poetry recitals and communal singing sessions.

After Midsummer, the newly opened “poetry meadow” will guide visitors along a verse-marked trail across the beautiful meadow surrounding Gottlund’s cottage. Exhibited here are the works submitted to previous years’ Gottlund poetry competitions.