Ethno-cultural centre

The ethno-cultural centre of Haikola is being kept by the Ortjo Stepanov Foundation. The aim of the centre is to preserve Viena Karelian cultural tradition and make Viena Karelian writers' production and activities more widely known.

The ethno-cultural centre comprises three traditional houses and two sheds. In the main building, in the centre of the village, is the administration of the centre and three spaces for exhibitions. There are two museums: literature museum of Ortjo Stepanov, situated in the house where he was born, and village ethnographical museum, which works in so called Ortjo's house. The oldest building in Viena Karelia can be found in Haikola, a shed, which has been restored and which has a rare roof made of birch bark, and of boards worked by using various traditional techniques. The other shed, standing on “cockerel's feet”, is working as part of the museum containing items and artifacts including to peasant life.

The ethno-cultural centre of Haikola is not working only in its home village, but organizes exhibitions, lectures and seminars around Karelia, mostly in Kalevala district and in Petrozavodsk. The ethnographical museum consists of exhibitions being shown in Ontto's house, two sheds and in the main building. The exhibitions in Ontto's house and in the main building change annually. They are presenting village life from different perspectives. For example in 2010, the main room of Ontto's house was made a village library of the 1950s and in 2011 it was showing traditional women's handicrafts. There has been art, photograph and handicrafts exhibitions in the main building as well as exhibitions related to the village life, such as fishing equipment, and objects related to travelling.