A new era began in the history of Laukko in 1929, when the estate was bought by the Tampere mill owner Rafael Haarla (1876-1937). A commercial traveller who had fought his way up to become a major businessman, Haarla envisaged a great manor house for himself at Laukko in a milieu worthy of it. Over the next decade the Laukko we know today gradually took shape.

 

Haarla and his paper mill were renowned for their sponsorship of Finland’s national history and art. The statues by Väinö Aaltonen along Hämeensilta Bridge in Tampere are examples of works he donated.