Alvar Aalto, a giant of 20th-century architecture, was schooled in Jyväskylä, opened his first offices here and spent his summers in nearby Muuratsalo. The city has dozens of Aalto buildings, but stop first at one of his last creations, this museum in the university area. It chronicles his life and work, with detailed focus on his major buildings, as well as sections on his furniture design and glassware. It’s very engaging; you get a real feel for the man and his philosophy.
The cafe does decent lunches. The museum stocks Alvar Aalto’s Jyväskylä (€1), a pamphlet plotting some of his significant buildings in and around Jyväskylä. It also has simple bikes for hire (per 1/2 days €10/15) to help you explore them.
