History of Wiurila manor
The Manor of Wiurila was first mentioned in history books in the 15th century. At that time, it was owned by Magnus Johansson till Wiorela. His daughter Elseby married Henrik Flemming and inherited Wiurila. For 300 years from that day on, the manor of Wiurila was inherited from mother to daughter.
In 1787, baron and major general Magnus Wilhelm Armfelt bought the säteri of Wiurila. His son Gustaf Mauritz inherited the manor of Joensuu, second son August Philip inherited the manors of Wiurila and Vuorentaka.
August Philip ordered the first national architect of Finland, an Italian called Carlos Bass, to draw a new main building for Wiurila. Work was finished in 1811, when the jolloin neoclassic manor building was built. Magnus Reinhold, son of August Philip, had the household center building built during years 1835 to 1845. The facade was created by another national architect, C. L. Engel.
August Armfelt, son of Count Magnus Reinhold, was a very influential man and an enthusiastic farmer. In his time, Wiurila had a brick factory, sawmill, windmills, dairy, distillery and the oldest known Finnish brewery.
A variety of handicraftsmen worked in the premises of the self-sustained Wiurila, and their own ships carried exports abroad - spirits, butter, wheat, lumber and other products.
Wiurila consisted of 48.000 hectares, of which approximately half was in Hiitola, Karelia.
The last Count, Carl August Armfelt (died in 1942), provided Wiurila with electricity and running water.
The manor had become smaller during land handovers and sharing of inheritances. Therefore, 30 hectares of farmland and as much forest was left, when Anna Louise Standertskjöld-Brüninghaus, the granddaughter of Carl August, took possession of the estate in 1951. The manor of Wiurila has risen into its current bloom due to her and her husband Günter Brüninghaus.
The current surface area of Wiurila is approximately 150 hectares. One of its specialities has been the farming of sweet corn.
Anne Marie Aminoff, daughter of the Brüninghauses, is taking care of the estate now.