Le jardin d'Aspegren

Rosenlund: An oasis in the heart of the city

1754
In the beginning there were rocks, marshland – and Gabriel Aspegren. The newly appointed rector of the parishes of Jakobstad and Pedersöre left a legacy of 18th-century ideas that are as modern today as they were three centuries ago.

2024
Aspegren’s pursuits gave us Rosenlund, an impressive 18th-century milieu a short walk away from the main square of Jakobstad. This well-preserved environment is unique not only by Finnish standards but also in the Nordic countries as a whole.
With a rectory, a number of household buildings, one of the most up-to-date cowhouses of the era, two ponds, an orangery, and two walled gardens, Rosenlund welcomes visitors all year round. The grounds are open to the public from morning till late in the evening, and the rectory serves lunch from Monday to Friday at 11–14. Rosenlund is also a popular venue for weddings and other family and social events.
The Aspegren gardens are a favourite among visitors and locals alike. Guided tours, available in the summer, lead the participants into the past and present of gardening on these latitudes. In the 18th century, Gabriel Aspegren introduced the potato and the apple to the region, creating a microclimate in the walled gardens that made Rosenlund probably the northernmost location in Europe for fruit growing. In these gardens, locals can now rent an allotment of their own and add to the colour and feel-good ambience of the site.