The main building of the municipal retirement home in Hyvärilä was completed in 1920. The building served as the retirement home for the rural community of Nurmes.
In addition to caring for the elderly, the institution was responsible for managing a farm and an asylum. The asylum was also in charge of caring for mentally disabled patients. The retirement home accommodated not only elderly people, but also occupants who had nowhere else to stay, including
paupers and vagabonds.
The municipal retirement home was originally the main building for a farm cleared by a man named Jakob Stenius Sr., known as Korpi-Jaakko. In the 1880s, the location was occupied by an old poorhouse, ‘Kurjala’.
In addition to the surrounding fields and forests, the municipal retirement home owned a cowhouse, pigsty and stable. The farm was managed by hired staff as well as some of the more able-bodied patients. All of the staff, i.e. both care and farm management staff, lived in the retirement home complex.
The current ‘Pehtoorin talo’ building housed the farm manager while the former reception building, ‘Unhola’, accommodated the workers. The asylum building for chronically ill patients was located in the current lakeside cottage.
The renovation of the Hyvärilä facilities began in the late 1970s after the decision to establish the Hyvärilä youth centre had been made.
The first step of the renovation project was to convert the cowhouse into a course centre and office building (minus the current auditorium). In
1980, the campsite located in the city centre on Kötsinmäki Hill was transferred to Hyvärilä.
The operations of the asylum for chronically ill patients were discontinued in early 1980 and the retirement home was closed in November 1986.
The Pehtoorin talo building was renovated in the mid-1980s. The conversion of the main building of the municipal retirement home into the Manor Hotel, as designed by architect Erkki Helasvuo, was completed in 1992.
The complex has since been supplemented with more new buildings, including an additional wing to the Manor Hotel, a lakeside sauna, the maintenance buildings and cottages of the campsite, the holiday apartments completed in summer 2008 and the sports and multipurpose hall PielisAreena completed in autumn 2012.
|
1974 |
‘Loma-Nurmes ry matkailuyhdistys’ travel association is founded on 13 December. |
| 1979 |
Loma-Nurmes Oy is founded on 20 December. |
| 1980- |
The company begins operations on 1 April. |
|
The Kötsinmäki Hill campsite is transferred to Hyvärilä. |
|
|
The asylum, Pehtoori and cowhouse buildings are renovated. |
|
| 1982 |
Youth centre operations begin in Hyvärilä. |
| 1986 |
The freestyle water ski jump ramp is opened on 6 September. |
| 1992 |
The Manor Hotel is opened (designed by architect Erkki Helasvuo). |
| 2008 |
The holiday apartments are completed. |
| 2013 |
PielisAreena is completed. |
| 2015 |
Loma-Nurmes Oy is renamed Hyvärilä Youth and Holiday Centre. |
