Discover Loimaa: Art, Agriculture and Cycling Routes

Loimaa combines Finnish landscape painting and rural culture with cycling routes in the wider region. On the banks of the Loimijoki, near the town centre, is the Loimaa Art House; its Haapanen Collection comprises 150 paintings. The Finnish Museum of Agriculture Sarka complements the focus on art with the history of rural life, agriculture and food. This gives you a clear choice when planning your trip: culture in town or cycling routes through the region.

Loimaa at a glance

• The Loimaa Art House is on the banks of the Loimijoki, near the town centre.
• The Haapanen Collection comprises 150 paintings, focusing on Finnish landscape painting from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• The Art House puts together a permanent exhibition from the collection each year; the selection on display may vary.
• The Finnish Museum of Agriculture Sarka presents the history of rural life, agriculture and food.
• In the wider region, a 37.5-kilometre cycling route passes through the former home surroundings of artist and professor Alpo Jaakola (1929–1997) and by his sculptures.
• The Maalaismaisemaa route is 41 kilometres long. It runs in the wider region; the cycling routes featured on the official Loimaa website range from 1.4 to 108 kilometres in total.

Landscape painting at the Loimaa Art House

The Haapanen Collection gives the Loimaa Art House a distinct artistic focus: at its heart are Finnish landscape paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection’s size is clearly defined at 150 paintings, while its period also shows which chapter of Finnish landscape painting it represents. If you enjoy bringing art and landscape together when travelling, you’ll find a specific cultural point of interest here in Loimaa.

Each year, the Art House puts together a permanent exhibition from the collection. The recurring feature is the annual selection from the Haapanen Collection; the specific selection may change. This makes the art house easy to include as a distinct cultural stop in your plans, without assuming that the exhibition remains unchanged. Its location near the centre and on the banks of the Loimijoki also gives it a clear connection to Loimaa.

A different perspective on rural life

The Finnish Museum of Agriculture Sarka offers a different thematic focus from the Art House. Rather than landscape painting, it explores the history of rural life, agriculture and food. The museum presents these topics in an engaging way. The two cultural attractions therefore differ not only in subject matter but also in perspective: one looks at landscape as a subject for painting, while the other focuses on rural life and its connection to agriculture and food.

If you’re travelling with children, your family’s interests may help decide which to visit: would you like to talk about art and landscape painting, or are you more interested in the history of agriculture and food? The topics offer different points of interest, without the two places promising the same experience. Together with the cycling routes, they offer a range of options from culture in town to routes leading into the wider region.

Cycling routes with different themes

In the wider region, the 37.5-kilometre route passes through Alpo Jaakola’s former home surroundings and by his sculptures. Jaakola (1929–1997) was an artist and professor. Also in the wider region, the 41-kilometre Maalaismaisemaa route passes through the traditional rural landscape of the Loimaa region, with fields, stretches of forest and riverside scenery. The two routes are comparable in length but differ significantly in focus: one is connected to Jaakola’s life and sculptures, while the other takes in the cultural landscape.

The cycling routes in the wider region featured on the official Loimaa website range from 1.4 to 108 kilometres. This range shows that the routes vary greatly in length; however, the distances alone do not indicate a specific riding time or difficulty. When choosing between the two longer examples, you can consider their respective themes: Jaakola’s work and former home surroundings, or fields, forest and riverside scenery. Maps, availability and route conditions may change.

Choose the right focus for your stay

The Art House is near the town centre, making it a convenient point of interest if the art collection is important to your stay. The cycling routes described, by contrast, run in the wider region; for a cycling trip, route length and theme therefore matter more than the location of the art house. This lets you match your choice of hotel to the kind of stay you’re planning, rather than treating art, the museum and cycling tours as interchangeable outings.

Discover more destinations: Marttila, Somerniemi, Turku, Kustavi, Harjattula, Naantali, Västanfjärd and Korppoo.

Frequently asked questions about Loimaa

Where is the Loimaa Art House?

The Loimaa Art House is on the banks of the Loimijoki, near the town centre.

What does the Haapanen Collection feature?

It comprises 150 paintings, focusing on Finnish landscape painting from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

What topics does the Sarka Museum of Agriculture cover?

Sarka covers the history of rural life, agriculture and food, presenting these topics in an engaging way.

How do the two cycling routes described differ?

The 37.5-kilometre cycling route in the wider region passes through Alpo Jaakola’s former home surroundings and by his sculptures. Maalaismaisemaa is 41 kilometres long and passes through a traditional rural landscape with fields, stretches of forest and riverside scenery.

How long are the cycling routes featured on the Loimaa website?

The cycling routes in the wider region featured on the official Loimaa website range from 1.4 to 108 kilometres. Maps and availability information may be updated; route conditions may also vary.

For the main travel overview: Varsinais-Suomi.