Ranta-Keurula
Ranta-Keurula is a working farm in the village of Kärkkäälä in Hankasalmi, surrounded by some of Central Finland’s most beautiful traditional rural scenery. The farm raises suckler cows for beef production, and forestry is also an essential part of its operations.
Farm tourism has been part of the Ranta-Keurula story since 1995, and guest accommodation has been offered since the early 2000s. Today, Pekka and Elina run the farm together with Pekka’s parents, Mirja and Esko. In this family business, cooperation between generations combines decades of experience, continuous development and a genuine desire to provide warm and personal service.
n summer, you may encounter sheep, chickens and cats around the farmyard, and watch our cows grazing in the nearby fields from behind the fence.
The history of the farm
Ranta-Keurula’s location along the Rautalampi waterway has brought travellers to the area for thousands of years. Ancient waterways guided fishers, hunters and wilderness travellers to these shores long before permanent settlement. A nearby Stone Age dwelling site and a stone tool discovered in the farmyard tell of life in the area thousands of years ago.
Permanent settlers arrived in the Kärkkäälä area in the late 16th century, as they did elsewhere in Central Finland and Northern Savonia. On the shore at Ranta-Keurula stands a pine tree more than 500 years old. It was only a tiny seedling growing in a crack in the rock when the first permanent residents settled in the area.
The present family has farmed the land and raised cattle here for more than 120 years. The entire Kärkkäälä village community has long been open-minded and entrepreneurial, and over the years Ranta-Keurula has hosted everything from a bank to the breeding bull of a local bull cooperative. Although the times have changed, one thing remains the same: the desire to care for this place and share its peace, history and stories with everyone who visits.
