Herrainpakat
Gentlemen's dune
Hiekkasärkät was previously known by the names Tuomipakka or Hietapakka.
Tuomipakka-dune and Herrainpakka-dune were the first ones to be used as travel destinations – people used to gather on them to have picnics during their free summer days.
The first people to spend their free time on the beach were from the upper class. They gathered on the Herrainpakat-dune – which translates as “gentlemen’s dune”.
However, people from the lower class slowly found their way onto the sandy beach as well.
Read more about the first steps of tourism in the area from the spot “First steps of tourism”.
Image description:
- A view from Hilma’s Hotel towards Herrainpakat.
- Hilma’s Hotel. (Tmi Karhumäki / postcard).
- Midsummer Celebrations in the 1920s. (Sari Alajoki private collection)
- A Gramophone and a picnic basket. (Pasi Eskola private collection)
- Description behind the photograph. (Pasi Eskola private collection)
Tales from Hiekkasärkät
Do you know how Herrainpakat got its name? Where did Kekkonen, Tauno Palo and Ansa Ikonen visit? When did the JukuJukuMaa Waterpark first open? Is it true that there was a railway and Finland’s longest waterslide down at the beach?
Learn these facts and loads of other interesting tales about the history of the Hiekkäsärkät area!
When you click the heading image, you can swipe and see the rest of the pictures.
Information about the route:
- You can experience the route by walking or bicycling in part or in its entirety, or completely remotely in digital form.
- The entire route is app. 10 km long, but you can also just tour the central area of Hiekkasärkät.
- The route uses sidewalks, duckboards, and open spaces like squares and parking lots.
The route is made in collaboration with the KUMA project and expert on built heritage Sari Alajoki.
Image sources:
- Camping site in the 1970s. (City of Kalajoki)
- Hilma's Hotel. (Kalajoen kotiseutuyhdistys)
- Midsummer celebrations at the beach. (Sari Alajoki private collection)