The Pielpajärvi church is built in the late 1700s. Photo: Yle
250-year-old wilderness church may be closed because of tourists’ scribbling in Inari
An increased number of tourists visiting the Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church in Inari, Finland, is eroding the church and its surroundings. The Sámi Museum Siida plans to set up instruction signs at the church and monitor whether they make tourists change their behaviour.
Judging by the year, signatures in the vestry of the Pielpajärvi Church are very recent. Photograph: Anneli Lappalainen / YleActing director Eija Ojanlatva of the Sámi Museum Siida says that protecting the church may require closing it to visitors. Photograph: Anneli Lappalainen / YleThe Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church is the oldest church in such good condition in Sápmi. The neighbourhood of the church was earlier used by Inari Sámi for their winter village. Photograph: Anneli Lappalainen / Yle
