Kirkkovene (“church boat”) is a very Finnish specificity, now subject to museumification, like, for example, this one standing under the shelter near the wooden church of Mäntyharju.
In Finland, many churches, for security reasons, used to be built on islands, but one somehow needed to get there for services.
So the villages (or, in certain cases, even rich families) used to commission such boats in order to be able to get to the church island. This one is really impressive: up to 20-30 people could easily get in and row.
Address: Finland, Etelä-Savon maakunta, Mikkelin seurukunta, Mäntyharju, Mäntyharjuntie 22
First published in the Levinarium Telegram Channel (now closed and deleted)