The buildings reflect Qvidja’s long history through the ages

There is a grey­stone castle on the eastern side of Qvidja’s yard. Its first construction phase was carried out in the 1470s, and two more floors were added in the 16th century.

The main part of the castle has three floors and its southern side has a two-floor cross wing. According to C. J. Gardberg, who was familiar with the construction history of the castle and later appointed as the director of the National Board of Antiquities, the castle is the best preserved Finnish stone building that dates from the late Middle ages and 16th century.

It is assumed that the Qvidja castle was used for defence purposes, a typical function for all Medieval castles. The openings on the facade are mainly directed toward the courtyard.

When the castle was renovated in the 16th century, an open stairwell and a castle lounge were added in the main area on the lower floor and two chambers were added in the cross wing. The upper floor was constructed using the same layout, which resulted in a banquet hall in the main area and chambers in the cross wing. On the inside, the walls were layered with bricks and each room was equipped with an open fire­place.

The windows of the halls opened toward several direc­tions. The decor­ative paintings on the walls and ceiling beams are assumed to have been carried out when the premises were renovated for Gustav I of Sweden, who visited the farm in 1555.

At the end of the 17th century, the castle was no longer used as the main residence, so it became deteri­orated. Toward the end of the 18th century, the castle was renovated and converted into a granary, which was its purpose until the middle of the 20th century. As the castle was used as a granary, it made the castle purposeful, which is one of the reasons it survives till today.

In the 1990s, the plas­tering on the facade of the building was repaired, the indoor grain silos were taken down and a partition was added on the top floor so it could be used as storage. The interior areas were cleaned, furnished and imple­mented as part-time banquet premises.There is a grey­stone castle on the eastern side of Qvidja’s yard. Its first construction phase was carried out in the 1470s, and two more floors were added in the 16th century.

Qvidja Castle

Qvidja’s main building stands opposite the castle on the west side of the yard. The building, made of timber, was constructed in phases: cellar, the oldest part, possibly dates from the 16th century – the same time the upper floors of the castle were built. The resid­ential floor above the cellars was constructed no later than the beginning of the 19th century. The house was given the status of the main building no later than the 19th century, when Anders Johan Prytz’s widow, Hedvig Maria, managed the estate.

There is a more recent and bigger wing constructed in the east-west direction at the northern end of the older wing, which is in the south-north direction. Both have been constructed on top of a natural stone base using timber with dovetail notches, after which the timber was hidden by a panel and covered with a saddle roof. In the inner corner of the newer and older parts is a long and broad porch, built in the 1860s.

The main building has been expanded, repaired and changed over several centuries. Several layers are visible in each space. Most construction methods can be described as the most progressive of their time.

The small building by the castle currently houses a chapel. Previ­ously, the building was used as a brewery and a workshop.

The building is mentioned in the first known inventory of Qvidja, compiled in 1683. The owner of the estate at that time, Carl Falkenberg af Trystorp, had it constructed as a brewery and the building served in this capacity at least until the 1750s. There is a giant’s kettle next to the building, so it is possible that the location was selected for that reason: the giant’s kettle provided for a suitable place to keep brewery products chilled.

The brewery was converted into a workshop in the 19th century, presumably in the 1860s, when new owners took over Qvidja.

Alex­ander Vilhelm and Margareta af Heurlin had the workshop converted into a chapel in the beginning of the 1930s. The design work was carried out by national archae­ologist and professor Juhani Rinne. The forge was dismantled, the brick floor was replaced and the walls were cleaned, white­washed and decorated with Medieval-themed paintings.

The paintings were designed by conser­vator Oskari Niemi. The bushings of the oak panel covered front door as well as the iron gates behind them were made by a company called Kaune, based in Turku. The benches were commis­sioned in Turku using the manor’s own timber and the cross on the altar was carved by Ernst Zachrisson, who used to live at Qvidja. The copper and brass mesh on top of the stove was made by Qvidja’s black­smith, Georg Ottosson, in 1933.

At times, the Finnish-speaking parish of Länsi-Turunmaa arranges masses in the chapel. Its benches seat comfortably approx­im­ately 30 people.

The brick-built cowhouse is one of the renov­a­tions that Wolmar and Wilhelm af Heurlin set out to complete when they acquired the estate in the 1860s. The building is located in the east-west direction on a hillside sloping north. The northern wall rests on a tall stone base made of natural stone, behind which manure was stored throughout the length of the building.

The building, which spans nearly 60 meters, could only be heated in the eastern end, which was furnished as a stable. The larger space in the west end was reserved for cattle. The boiling house and the milk room were built in the new southern wing in the 1910s or 1920s, which is when only dairy cattle were kept in the building. The low-rise wing was later used as a stable.

Now, the cowhouse has been renovated and it is a loose housing area for the farm’s horses. Horses are naturally herd animals and they have been divided into group pens in the stable, allowing them to move freely to the paddock and back again. At Qvidja, manure is utilised for energy and as a fertiliser.

Renewable energy is generated and utilised at Qvidja. The farm’s energy facility comprises four units: woodchip-powered heat gener­ation unit, biogas unit, wood gas unit and a biometh­an­isation unit. All units were completed in 2017.

Q Power, founded at Qvidja, researches and produces renewable fuels.

The hydrogen needed by the reactor comes from the coal gas generated in the wood gas unit. The biogas unit can utilise organic waste resulting from farm oper­a­tions. Organic waste, such as fish waste, also arrives from outside of the farm. The carbon dioxide of biogas is also used as an ingredient in methane production.