Wanha Markki

Open during the summer, Wanha Markki is an artist home and Animal Retirement Home in Ylistaro, which has already provided a home for thousands of animals under threat of being euthanised. The hosts of the house, painter Heikki Laaksonen and ceramicist Liisa-Cristiina Laaksonen, have renovated an old Ostrobothnian courtyard, the buildings of which are mainly used by the Animal Retirement Home. The retirement home is run by volunteers and donations. In addition to the hosts’ workspaces, the main building hosts a gift shop that sells Wanha Markki’s own Sauna & Spa products, handmade organic soap bars, sauna steam fragrances and sauna soaps, various women’s accessories, bags and jewellery, and cards crafted by the hosts. In the summer, there is also a café at Markki. Thousands of people visit Wanha Markki every year. The Ostrobothnian courtyard with its free-ranging animals is a unique experience for all ages!