Living in Luostarinmäki
According to records, the very first residents of Luostarinmäki in the 1700s included a cobbler, sailors, plank carriers, packers and guards, along with their families. In the 1800s, many carpenters moved to the quarter. Their trade and skills enabled them to build their own house. Homeowners also built rooms for tenants to earn some extra income.
The residents of Luostarinmäki had all sorts of backgrounds and trades, ranging from circus acrobats and orchestra musicians to vagrants and innkeepers. The owners of the houses and the tenants in particular, changed frequently. Families with several children lived in even the smallest of spaces. Even though the quarter was primarily populated by people of modest means, there were also a few wealthier households. By the time the 1900s rolled around, most of the residents were single women and elderly tenants.
After Luostarinmäki was made into a museum, the tenants kept on living here side by side with the museum for quite some time. There are still tenants living in some of the houses in the museum area.