History of The Boat
Alvar Aalto designed the motor launch
Nemo propheta in patria for use on Lake Päijänne. The boat, which has very fine lines, was the only way of reaching the island of Muuratsalo
in the 1950s and it was known at that time to be the fastest wooden vessel on the lake.
The boat was
built in 1954, at Lauri Kosola's boatyard in Säynätsalo. The drawings for the boat were originally made at the National Board of Navigation, but Aalto
re-designed it. The boat is flat-bottomed and easy to beach as is normal for landing craft.
It is 10.2 metres long, has a
beam of 2.5 metres and is built of pinewood. The wide oak-finished seats are sheltered from spray by protecting wings. The engine and the fuel tank are mounted in the stern. The interior of the boat was built according to Aalto's drawings at Säynätsalo
in 1955 with the help of the
carpenter Aadolf Marttila. Oak and mahogany were used inside the cabin.The finishes of the
boat were renovated
in the early 1980s and it is now part of the Alvar Aalto Museum collection.
Photo: Alvar Aalto Museum/Photo Collection
The name
Nemo propheta in patria came into being
in the 1950s when Alvar Aalto threw a stone
at a neon-lit advertisement which had appeared on the wall of Säynätsalo Town Hall and broke it. 'No man is a prophet in his own land.'
The boat as a form fascinated Alvar Aalto. Comparatively speaking, he made more drawings for the boat than for his other structures. There is a varnished wooden model of the boat on the wall of the Experimental House.
text: Hanni Sippo | photo: Maija Holma Alvar Aalto Foundation