The State Hotel, designed by Usko Nyström, is located on the bank of the Imatrankoski falls at a point that was already a traditional destination for travellers in the 19th century. The building of the new hotel became a necessity with the growth of tourism in the 1890s.

The State Hotel is stylistically linked more with the international Jugend style than with Finnish national romanticism. The spatial arrangement of the building is based on a central corridor and a staircase located at the core of the structure. In accordance with the ideals of the time, the State Hotel’s complex ground-plan, volume and façades form an integrated whole. The gently rising, Wagnerian staircase, with its references to the Vienna Jugend style, forms the spectacular heart of the building. The grey stone mosaic and the billowing motif that appears on the walls of the corridors, both typical of Nyström, bring to mind the river that runs alongside, giving the building a local flavour.  The original interior decoration of the hotel was light and airy in a manner atypical of the Jugend style. The successful juxtaposition of decorative motifs and Puritanism are charming features of the design.

Text: Juhana Lahti / 20th Century Architecture, MFA

Location

Torkkelinkatu 2, Imatra
61.1690168, 28.7709825

Images

Northeast façade, The State Hotel
Northeast façade, The State Hotel (© Kari Hakli / MFA)
Southeast façade, The State Hotel
Southeast façade, The State Hotel (© Max Plunger / MFA)
Imatra rapids and the hotel, The State Hotel
Imatra rapids and the hotel, The State Hotel (© MFA)
Façade, The State Hotel
Façade, The State Hotel (© Asko Salokorpi / MFA)
Main staircase, The State Hotel
Main staircase, The State Hotel (© Asko Salokorpi / MFA)
Interior, The State Hotel
Interior, The State Hotel (© Asko Salokorpi / MFA)
Original drawing, The State Hotel
Original drawing, The State Hotel (© MFA)
Original drawing, The State Hotel
Original drawing, The State Hotel (© MFA)
Original floor plan of the ground floor, The State Hotel
Original floor plan of the ground floor, The State Hotel (© MFA)

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