Björkholm Cottages

IN MEMORIAM

Gulli Kronehag

1935 - 2023


For centuries the island of Björkholm belonged to the local community. In the beginning of the 18th century people in the area died of the plague and the island became a property of the Swedish king. The area was, on behalf of the king, ruled by a landlord. Because of economic downfall in his kingdom, the king paid his lords with properties, instead of money. Over the time the island changed ownership several times.

Just before the second World War a ship pilot and his wife bought a significant part of the island. The father of the family worked in the Archipelago and the whole family helped on the island. They fished and hunted sea birds and had a few farm animals, hayfields and areas with fruit trees and vegetables. The children went to school on the neighboring island of Heisala.

During the decenniums after the war the standard of living improved and it was not necessary to keep own farm animals. The son of the family Kurt Kronehag followed in his father’s footsteps and became a ship pilot himself. He built a house on the westside of the island and moved there with his wife Gulli. In 1964 Kurt and Gulli built a summer cabin on the southside of the island with the intention to rent it out. During the following 50 years they built a holiday village with 11 summer cottages.

Kurt is still living in their house on the westside of the island. At a respectable age of 82 years old they decided in 2018 it was time to hand over the daily operation of the holiday village. In 2020 Kurt and Gulli donated their holiday village to the foundation Åbolands Skärgårdsstiftelse. The foundation promotes year-round living in the archipelago area.

In 2018 I and my wife Johanna started as entrepreneurs on the island. We have been continuing the operation of Kurt’s and Gulli’s holiday village. Farm animals returned to the island, as we have horses, sheep and chickens. Our son Jelmer was born in November 2021 and our daughter Fenna in November 2023.


Matthijs Admiraal

TURKU ARCHIPELAGO FOUNDATION

The aim of the Archipelago Foundation is to work for the benefit of the living archipelago by supporting housing, the environment and livelihoods.

The area of the Archipelago Foundation is the Turku archipelago, with a focus on the outer archipelago.