Discover Loimaa: art, agriculture and landscapes

Loimaa combines art and rural cultural history with cycling routes in the wider surrounding region. When searching for a hotel in Loimaa, these themes can shape the character of your stay: the Haapanen Collection focuses on Finnish landscape painting, the Finnish Museum of Agriculture Sarka on the history of rural life, and the cycling routes pass through regional landscapes. You can first decide whether you would like to include cultural sites or a cycling tour in your travel plans.

Art collection on the Loimijoki

Loimaa Art House is located on the banks of the Loimijoki, near the town centre. Its Haapanen Collection comprises 150 paintings, focusing on Finnish landscape painting from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its subject matter and period give the collection a clearly defined profile. Each year, a permanent exhibition is curated from the collection; its specific selection may vary. The 150 paintings describe the collection’s holdings, while the annual exhibition is curated from them each year. This keeps the thematic scope clear, even as the specific selection changes.

Rural cultural history

The Finnish Museum of Agriculture Sarka offers a different perspective. It vividly presents the history of rural life, agriculture and food. Compared with Art House, the focus therefore shifts from paintings and landscape art to rural cultural history. The museum’s three themes offer different perspectives on this history: rural life, agriculture and food. If you plan your trip around your interests, you can distinguish an art-focused visit from a cultural history focus.

Cycling routes in the wider surrounding area

In the wider surrounding region, cycling routes range from 1.4 to 108 kilometres. One 37.5-kilometre route passes through the former living environment of artist and professor Alpo Jaakola (1929–1997) and by his sculptures. Another route is 41 kilometres long and passes through the traditional rural landscape of the Loimaa region, with fields, stretches of forest and riverside scenery. The two examples are similar in length but differ in theme: one leads to Jaakola’s former living environment and his sculptures, while the other passes through the traditional rural landscape. The difference between their distances is 3.5 kilometres. Maps and route conditions may change; check the information before your ride. In terms of theme, Sarka complements the landscape perspective of the 41-kilometre route with the history of agriculture.

Plan your stay

For a cultural visit, you can choose between the different themes of Art House and Sarka; for a cycling tour, both the route length and the landscape it passes through are relevant.

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Back to the regional travel overview: Varsinais-Suomi.