Alvar Aalto Architecture in Rovaniemi

In 2025, Rovaniemi will celebrate the Alvar Aalto Jubilee Year. Both small and large events in the northernmost Aalto city in the world will be organized under the theme “Arctic Everyday Aalto”. Two of Aalto’s iconic Rovaniemi landmarks, the City Library and Lappia Hall will celebrate milestone anniversaries in 2025. Throughout the year, Rovaniemi will also serve as the chair of the international Alvar Aalto Cities Network. The Jubilee year will culminate in the Alvar Aalto Week in the autumn.

The Alvar Aalto Jubilee Year 2025 in Rovaniemi will culminate in the Alvar Aalto Week, held from September 29th to October 5th, 2025. At the Alvar Aalto Week you can take part in guided tours, lectures, and workshops, as well as concerts, exhibitions, discussions, and community art activities, among others.

Rovaniemi suffered badly in World War II, as approximately 90 percent of buildings in the town centre were destroyed in 1944. The rebuilding process started quickly after the tragedy and was led by Alvar Aalto.

Rovaniemi is the Arctic Capital, and what would be more fitting than to have the town shaped like a reindeer, the iconic animal of the area? Aalto’s genius vision has central Rovaniemi wrapped inside the reindeer’s head, with the Keskuskenttä sports stadium as the eye. Roads leading north, west and south make up the antlers.

Aalto’s main work in Rovaniemi is the Aalto centre, the administrative and cultural centre, which consists of Rovaniemi City Hall, Rovaniemi City Library and Lappia Hall, a congress venue and the home of Rovaniemi Theatre.

The library was constructed first, in 1965, followed by Lappia Hall in 1975. Lappia Hall was the last building Aalto saw completed before his death. The city hall was completed posthumously in 1986, the plans of which were finalized by Aalto’s architect wife Elissa Aalto.

Besides large public projects, Alvar Aalto also designed residential and commercial buildings for Rovaniemi. The Korkalorinne residential area features different kind of residential buildings in parklike surroundings. For the central Rovaniemi, Aalto designed several buildings for the Aho business family as part of a tight urban milieu for both business and residential use.