The merchant Anders Roos Jr. and his wife Maria Sophia had the house built as a family home in 1813, in Gamlakarleby as the town was then called. At the time when they moved in, the couple had two children, and they went on to produce eight daughters and three sons in total. Gamlakarleby was one of the leading maritime towns in Finland at the beginning of the 1800s, and Anders Roos Sr. was in fact the wealthiest merchant in the whole country! 

Nowadays the building is one of the K.H.Renlund museum’s exhibition spaces. Upstairs, glimpses from the Gamlakarleby of the 1800s are displayed and the Roos family is presented. Another central theme is Karl Herman Renlund and his art collection comprising works from the golden age of Finnish art. Downstairs, there is a space for temporary exhibitions, as well as the museum shop. A visit to K.H.Renlund museum will give you insight into the heyday of the house and the golden era of Ostrobothnian maritime history