Kultaranta in Finland, Naantali resort
Rating: 8,4/10 (202 votes)  Kultaranta is the summer residence of the President of Finland. It is located in the town of Naantali on the island of Luonnonmaa. At the beginning of the 20th century, the land plot where Kultaranta is located today was put up for sale. It was acquired by the landowner and major entrepreneur Alfred Cordelin. In 1914-1916. he built a summer villa here. The building resembling a medieval castle was designed by the architect Lars Sonck. The granite stone palace had 19 rooms. It was originally planned to build it on the very shore, but L. Sonck changed the place of construction, moving it to a rock, at an altitude of 18 meters above sea level. The landowner spent only one summer in the new villa before his unexpected death. In 1917 he was killed by a Russian marauder sailor during the so-called"skirmish in Mommila". After A. The Kolderina villa was donated to the University of Turku Society. In 1922, the land plot and the villa itself were transferred to state ownership. At the same time, it was decided to use the villa as the summer residence of the President of Finland. In 1929 the castle was renovated and expanded. The vaulted ceiling in the golden living room has been transformed into a flat-style vaulted ceiling. Today, as before, there are 19 rooms in the castle. On the ground floor there are living and festive areas, and on the upper floor there are guest rooms. The castle tower can be accessed by a marble staircase. And from above there is a picturesque view of the park surrounding the castle and the city of Naantali. The original furnishings of the rooms have not survived; a significant part of it has been sold out. Only the furniture on the terrace and one chair in the golden living room have survived. The flag of Finland is raised over the castle when the president is here. Eminent guests often come to Kultaranta; the first of the heads of state was visited by King Gustav V of Sweden in 1927. In 1976, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visited the villa with Prince Consort Philip. In 1983, US Vice President George W. Bush paid an official visit to the castle. Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin, King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf, President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Hungarian President Ferenc Madl, UN Secretary General Annan Kofi and many others have been here twice.   
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