History of Kumppanuustalo

The Kumppanuustalo building was originally completed and consecrated as an Orthodox church in 1900. Colonel-Engineer Karaulszikov was chosen as the architect, and the Russian military department oversaw the construction. The church was used exclusively for military purposes.

Following independence in 1923, ropes were attached to the church towers and dome to pull them down, and the building was converted into a Classicist-style city library based on plans by Bertel Strömmer. The Library operated in the building until 1983, when the Hämeenlinna Main Library was able to move for the first time into a building specifically designed as a library on Lukiokatu.

The Hämeenlinna Provincial Archives operated on the upper floor of the building. The Provincial Archives began its operations in 1927 on the upper floor of the Hämeenlinna city library building. However, the archives could not be opened to researchers until the spring of 1929, once the records had been transferred and the operational requirements were secured. In 1978, the Provincial Archives moved to the former Hopeakeskus factory property on the shores of Vanajavesi, which had been renovated for archival use.

After the library moved to Lukiokatu, the Hämeenlinna Theatre operated in the building in 1983, and in the following years, it housed the University of Tampere’s continuing education center, for which the premises were renovated. In the 2000s, the Finnish Institute of Entrepreneurship operated in the building, and from 2012 to 2013, the house served as temporary facilities for Tuomela School.

Hämeenlinna’s Kumppanuustalo opened its doors on September 8, 2014.