Field hospital exhibition in the outbuilding
The Kovero school buildings served as a field hospital during both the Winter War and the Continuation War. An exhibition in the outbuilding commemorates those years and tells, among other things, true stories of the wounded who were treated at the hospital. It also has a large collection of non-fiction books (more than 400 titles), front-line maps and hospital equipment, as well as Outi Piiroinen's moving sculpture of a soldier who lost his leg in the war.
Open by arrangement, tel. +358 40 578 0561 / Jaana. See photos of the exhibition.
Passport photos
By appointment, tel. +358 40 578 0561 / Jaana.
- Sent electronically straight to the police €15 (incl. 24% VAT)
- 4 printed photos €20 (incl. 24% VAT)
- Both €25
The guesthouse and yard
The guesthouse is heated with geothermal heat. Joensuu uses only high-quality groundwater, and at the guesthouse hot water is heated in boilers.
There is a children's play corner in the lobby. In the yard there is a lean-to with a campfire, in use in spring, summer and autumn. Children have swings, a sandbox and space to play football and badminton in the yard. In winter Ilomantsi has a lit skating rink and competition ski tracks, and the Mustavaara ski resort is 31 km away.
The guesthouse folder in the lobby has information about the house, the area and the sights. The lobby also has brochures to take about places nearby, including the great hiking spots of Tuupovaara and Ilomantsi. The rooms have information about local services.
Fire safety. Powder extinguishers are in the downstairs and upstairs lobbies and in the hallway of the two-room apartment. All rooms have smoke alarms, fire blankets and marked exits and emergency exits.
Recycling. We sort our waste. The studio, the two-room apartment and room 4 have their own bins for biowaste, glass, metal, plastic, paper, cardboard and batteries. For room 3 the bins are partly in the room and partly in the corridor. For room 4 the bins are in the corridor to save space in the room.
Beach and the house rowing boat
The well-kept village beach and the house rowing boat are on the shore of Lake Koverojärvi, about 300 metres from the edge of the property. There are four children's life jackets and two for adults.
Skiing, snowshoeing and cycling
A lit ski track runs along the hillside about 500 metres away. In late winter a track is made on the ice of Lake Lastujärvi in Kovero. You can use the house skis and boots if you have not brought your own. Three pairs of snowshoes are available. There are four bikes to borrow, and helmets too.
The guesthouse e-fatbike has its own page.
Snowmobile trails
The guesthouse is at a junction of snowmobile trails. From the yard you can ride straight towards Tohmajärvi, Ilomantsi and Joensuu. There is room in the yard for cars and trailers. Trails: www.pohjoiskarjalankelkkaurat.fi
Kovero
Kovero is a pretty rural village among hills and unspoilt nature in Tuupovaara. The village centre is small and idyllic, and around it is sparsely populated, beautiful forest with varied terrain. Kovero is the second-largest village of the former municipality of Tuupovaara and one of the rural villages of the City of Joensuu. People have lived in Kovero for more than 500 years.
Distances from Kovero: Joensuu centre 46 km, Tuupovaara 8 km, Ilomantsi 28 km and Eno 36 km. Mustavaara ski resort is 31 km away.
Next door (Koverontie 6) is a beautiful old threshing barn called Runoriihi. In summer it hosts concerts and poetry readings, and in July there is a flea market. Events are listed on Runoriihi's Facebook page and in the guesthouse lobby. See photos of Kovero.
History
The guesthouse, the newer school building, was built in 1930. The school closed in 2013. Jaana and Keijo Ronkainen took over the property in February 2014. The flea market and accommodation opened on 1 June 2015. The flea market closed in the pandemic year 2020.
During the Winter War and the Continuation War the house served as a field hospital ward, and operations and other treatments were carried out in the old school. As a memorial to the war years, a field hospital exhibition was built in the old cowshed and opened in October 2018. During the war some classrooms were rented to the military, although teaching continued.
The old school was built in 1890 and lessons began in August 1890. It was the first elementary school in the area after the school in what was then the parish village of Ilomantsi. Elementary schools were highly valued, so school buildings were placed in prominent, scenic spots. Kovero was no exception. (Ismo Björn: Tuupovaaran historia, the history of Tuupovaara)
The property was once bought from a coaching inn, and it was called Keskievari until 2014. When the owners changed, the property had to be renamed, and it is now called Kotimäki. The exact location of the historic inn building, long gone, is not known. In the old days teachers and cooks lived in the old school. Later it housed tenants and all kinds of activities, including a summer café, a sewing workshop, clubs and the preparation of edible mushrooms. The house is now the Ronkainen family home.