Local heritage house Röytty
The local heritage house Röytty, located next to the Taipalsaari Church, is an old military official’s residence and inn.
Located in the center of Taipalsaari’s Kirkonkylä, the local heritage house Röytty, an outbuilding in the same yard, and the nearby grain storehouse of the historical loan granary (Taipalsaari Local Museum) together form a hub for preserving the municipality’s local history. The site is being developed in collaboration with the South Karelia Museum. Visitors can explore the past of the former military official’s residence and inn, learn about tools from different eras, and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a time before the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Rest and take a break at the self-service point
Information
Located next to Taipalsaari Church, the local heritage house Röytty is an old military official’s residence and inn. Today, Röytty operates as a museum with its barns and buildings.
Röytty’s house is believed to have been built in the late 1600s by the men of Taipalsaari, Savitaipale, and Joutseno. The first mention of Röytty as a military official’s residence dates back to 1680. Röytty briefly served as the official residence for Swedish army lieutenants until the entire Taipalsaari area was ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Turku in 1743. After that, the building became an inn. Its location at a crossroads of an ancient ice road and both water and land transport routes brought customers to Röytty’s inn. Röytty served as a resting place for travelers, taking care of both the passengers and their horses.
In the 1930s, many of Finland’s inns closed, and Röytty’s inn service ceased in 1937. The last innkeeper was Viktor Rikkonen, and the property was transferred to Taipalsaari Municipality in 1988 from his nephew, Veikko Rikkonen. The municipality restored the building as an inn museum, following the guidelines of the South Karelia Museum and the Finnish National Board of Antiquities, with respect for its authenticity. In the summer of 1996, the Röytty Heritage House with its exhibitions was opened to the public.
Today, Röytty hosts a café run by local Taipalsaari associations during the summer months and around Christmas, as well as a sales exhibition by local artisans.