The Old Town Raahe Advent Calendar has delighted visitors to the old town on many Advents. Soon it will be that time of year again when you can wander around admiring and wondering at the Christmas arrangements created in the windows. Starting from the beginning of December, one calendar window will open every day in one of the windows of the old town houses. You can find the Old Town Raahe Advent Calendar with the doors and the stories hidden behind them here.
The Advent calendar map was also found on the noticeboard of Old (In Finnish: Wanha) Raahe, located on the corner of Kirkkokatu and Cortenkatu, during my calendar tour on December 22, 2024. I went around looking at all the calendar windows that had been opened so far, of which a few shots are below.
The 2024 Advent Calendar tour began at the main door of Raahe Church, where an illuminated nativity scene had been built. The church itself was designed by Josef Stenbäck and inaugurated in 1912.
I could see also the old buildings on the other side of street when I was looking the nativity scene.
The Calendar window for December 5th was found at Brahenkatu 13. Kivi-Sovio, which was completed in 1849, is also known as the Hansa House.
Behind the window of the Hansa house, the Moomins were having their winter adventures.
The 11th window of the Old Town Raahe Advent Calendar was found along Rantakatu. Small steps had been thoughtfully built under the Calendar window to make it easier to peek.
The Advent Calendar opens at different addresses every year, so there’s always something new to look forward to! In the summer, you can also visit the summer street gallery in Old Town Raahe, which you can read about here.
The Kreivinaika activity center at Brahenkatu 14-16 had Advent Calendar decorations in one of its numerous windows.
The decorations bring joy to both the creators and those walking the streets of the old town.
Elves in the window of the activity center. They looked busy!
The Reini House, built in 1870 on the edge of Pekka-tori Square (Brahenkatu 11), is named after merchant Johan Gustaf Reini. The house was used for trading until the 1970s. Today, the house is used to train future professionals in the hair and beauty industry.
The Advent Window of the Reini House (window 19) revealed a Christmas idyll with gingerbread house among other things. This view at street level was easy for even the youngest passersby to admire.
The Calendar Window for December 20th was found behind the window of Suutarinverstas Monopoli at Kauppakatu 31.
The mirrors had created a lovely little street view.
A shoemaker was working in the dollhouse workshop – how could he do otherwise! There were other people busy in the little house, making Christmas preparations.
I ended my Advent Calendar tour at the Langin Kauppahuone Café at Kirkkokatu 19.
The tea and mushroom pie were delicious and warmed me up nicely after a day outdoors.
There were only a couple of days until Christmas. Who did get to open these packages under the Kauppahuone tree in 2024?
There are only about three weeks left until the first door of the 2025 The Old Town Raahe Advent Calendar opens! The Windows can be found here from 1 December 2025. The Advent Calendar will be on display until 6 January 2026, so you can look around and look at it more than once, for example on evening walks.
