Espoo's apartment blocks hide a villa of the former elite

Hidden behind a row of modern apartment buildings in Espoo, Finland, lies Villa Sparbössan, a rare surviving example of the area's former lakeside villas. Approximately 120 years old, the villa, whose name translates to "Savings Pig" in English, is one of the few remaining structures from an era when the shores of Lippajärvi lake were dotted with homes belonging to the more affluent.

Today, the villa stands in stark contrast to its urban surroundings. A gate, marked with ornate lettering, leads to the property, where a Porsche and a Jaguar are parked side-by-side. The substantial, dark wooden villa offers a direct view of the lake, a picturesque scene that belies its current concealed location.

Henry Siponen, a son of the family that now owns the villa, is preparing to play golf. The property's history is marked by a time when its owners were considered "bättre folk," or better people. An anecdote shared recalls an instance where a stranger walked onto the property and asked to use the sauna, highlighting a past era of perhaps greater openness or a different sense of community.

The contrast between the historic villa and the surrounding concrete apartment blocks underscores the rapid development and changing landscape of Espoo. Villa Sparbössan remains a testament to the area's past, a quiet observer of the modern urban environment that has grown up around it.