Some countryside cottages built in the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries have been preserved in the vicinity of Sortavala. Now they are of great historic and cultural significance. One of those houses is Doctor Winter' s villa (dacha), Tarolinna, at Taruniemi 8 km from Sortavala.
The Winter' s villa is а real architectural masterpiece in the style of National Romanticism. It was built according to the drawings set up by the famous architect Eliel Saarinen ш the beginning of the 20th century. The villa is situated on the steep shore of Ladoga, in full view both from the road and from the lake. The wooded site, the cliff and the surface of the lake are integrated of the composition and it gives the building its unique appearance. Saarinen used natural materials, mainly stone and wood. The villa irregular in outline. To the main facade of the two-storey villa, а single-storey porch was added and to the opposite side а single-storey rizalite. On the south-western side, the building has а loggia carrying а terrace. The decoration of the facades is by а combination of building and finishing materials. The walls of the upper part of the building are covered with red shingles.
Similar shingles but in blue color trim the terrace barrier. Large rocks juts out of the plane of the columns. The supporting walls and parapets of the staircase with multicolored stones contribute to the artistic impression of the facades.
When he made the drawings for the villa, the architect also designed а system of terraces and balconies to unite the architectural building and the environment. The interiors preserve тапу details typical for the villas of Saarinen, such as а two-storey, а ceiling with massive beams, а brick fireplace and an open staircase. The architect also designed the furniture of the Tarulinna villa. А high cupboard made of the Karelian birch still stands to the left in the entrance hall. On the site of the villa there is а very interesting arboretum with unique tree and bush species. In the year 2000, the site is private property.
