About us

Malmbacka is a culturally historic, private area, with a cottage and charcoal village in Snappertuna, located in Raseborg in southern Finland, 15 km from Ekenäs, only 1 hour by car from Helsinki, 1.5 hours by car from Turku and 45 minutes by car from Finland’s southernmost point, Hanko.

Malmbacka is situated 2 km from the historical King’s Road in a beautiful rural setting where nature has lots to offer. Here you can enjoy and experience nature, wild animals, song birds, the sounds of the forest, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, as well as peace and quiet at its best.

If you wish to visit us but don’t have your own transportation, we can pick you up from Karis train station upon agreement.

The village consists of charcoal worker’s huts and small timber cottages, without electricity, you pump the cold drinking water from the well. Food is prepared over an open fire, there is a sauna for washing, and the toilet is a good old outhouse.

The area contains 3 old charcoal hearth bases dating back to the 1600s when charcoal was manufactured in hearths to be used in the iron works here in western Nyland.

We have saved 2 of these charcoal bases and renovated one of them on which we build up a charcoal hearth every autumn to be lit in September. Our first Charcoal Weekend was held on 8 – 9 September 2012. We lighted the hearth at 13 noon.

You can participate in the various tasks needed to build a charcoal hearth and learn the valuable work that the charcoal workers used to do in our forests. This way we wish to keep alive this historical tradition for our generation and those to follow.

We want to save our environment and therefore we have changed things as little as possible when building our village. Transportation is by foot only, also using animal paths.

The charcoal workers’ simple huts are copies of those used by charcoal workers in the old days to sleep in during the charcoal season. You will sleep well in a timber bed on a sheepskin in a sleeping bag in front of a cozy fire. The peace and quiet is ever present.

On the grill, named Thelma, you can cook your food over an open fire after having cut your own wood, or buy ready-cut wood. You will heat up the sauna yourself with wood.

The outhouses are equipped with toilet paper, soap and water.

The village will be expanded with more cabins, a café and other buildings. All building will be individually named with an explanation of their names.

We are often on site in the forest, but if you don’t see us, call us. We live on the property next to the cottage village and are quickly on site.

Come and experience everything that our village has to offer.