PROJECTS
The Anders Chydenius Vicarage Association aims to develop the vicarage into a centre for democracy and cultural heritage featuring various operations in the spirit of Anders Chydenius. The operations cover the themes of democracy, cultural heritage, education, and innovation. To implement them, we created a strategy and vision for 2030.
The vision embraces a numer of projects.
Anders Chydenius Democracy School
Startup project
The Vicarage Association has launched a two‑year startup project, the Anders Chydenius Democracy School, which operates in and around Kokkola. The project runs from August 2025 to July 2027. The School aims to continue its activities after the startup phase. Its activities are bilingual, i.e. implemented in Swedish and Finnish.
The project is primarily aimed at school children and young people, and it reaches them by offering in their schools educational modules, the activities of which are mainly led by the Democracy School’s educator who teaches both in the pilot schools and in Kirkonmäki. The methods emphasised by the Democracy School include experience‑based learning, student activation and problem‑based learning to encourages critical thinking and self‑reflection. The Democracy School combines cultural heritage education with democracy education.
The project also reaches the public by organising seminars and story-telling evenings. The themes of the educational modules and seminars are based on Anders Chydenius’s democratic values including human rights, equality, and freedom.
Furthermore, the project aims is to develop sustainable operations at the vicarage and to disseminate knowledge about Anders Chydenius and his legacy. Part of the project therefore involves preparing the renovation of the vicarage and activities that will take place there.
Annika Enlund‑Piirto works as Democracy Educator at the School.
Renovation of the Vicarage
To implement our vision of turning the vicarage into a centre for culture and democracy, a renovation is needed. The vicarage is a protected building with a unique history, which the association embraces and wants to highlight. Currently, the vicarage is divided into two spaces: one is rented out as a residence, and the other is used by the Vicarage Association for its activities.
The association is actively working to make the vicarage a building that meets today’s standards and needs. The spaces should be designed to be functional, accessible, and versatile. The goal is for the vicarage’s facilities to be available for rent by associations, businesses, and private individuals. At the same time, the association wants to preserve the authenticity and atmosphere of building, including restoring the original layout from the time of Anders Chydenius.
The following steps have been taken toward the upcoming renovation:
2016 – Condition assessment
2020 – Exploratory renovation
2021 – Replacement of the floors in the minor hall and the bishop’s room
2022 – Development of an architectural plan together with Mikko Karvinen
2024 – Shingle‑roof renovation (Kokkola Parish Union)
2024 – Consultation by Lars Forsman regarding the kitchen’s design and concept
At present, we are awaiting additional funding to continue the renovation and the development of the democracy and culture centre.
The Kirkonmäki development project
The Kirkonmäkeläiset-Kyrkbackenärerna Working Group aims, under the leadership of the Anders Chydenius Vicarage Association, to make Kirkonmäki-Kyrkbacken more visitor‑friendly and attractive as a tourist destination and as a heritage recreation site for the local community. The project seeks to improve communication and cooperation between the actors at Kirkonmäki-Kyrkbacken and to create a more engaging visitor environment, marketed under the concept of Kirkonmäki-Kyrkbacken.
The purpose of the development project is to increase the number of visitors to Kirkonmäki-Kyrkbacken, to strengthen the activities and cooperation of local entrepreneurs and associations, and to highlight the area’s unique built environment and cultural history. By profiling and developing the area, it can become a prestigious and vibrant place that reflects the history of the town of Kokkola and the legacy of Anders Chydenius. The project safeguards Kyrkbacken’s cultural heritage and building tradition, where the church, the vicarage, and the surrounding buildings have been classified by the Finnish Heritage Agency as nationally significant built cultural heritage.
Next to the rectory is the local heritage museum and the quarter consisting of old culturally valuable buildings relocated from the surrounding region. Anders Chydenius made a significant contribution to the Freedom of the Press Act of 1766, which became part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2023. In 2024, it was also established that Kokkola Parish Church is the starting point of the St. Olav’s Way in northern Ostrobothnia. St. Olav’s Way is a pilgrimage route leading to Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim and is a European Cultural Route certified by the Council of Europe in 2024.
An increase in visitor numbers strengthens Kyrkbacken’s role in the community. It supports the preservation of the built cultural heritage, which is an important part of the history of the town of Kokkola, Finland, and the world. At the same time, the project reinforces the Vicarage Association’s vision of developing the vicarage into a public‑benefit centre for democracy and culture.
The working group has launched a new website covering the area.
We are seeking both financial and practical support for this project—please feel free to contact us if you would like to contribute.