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Mäntyniemi is the first official residence built specifically for the President of the Republic. The former presidential official residence, Tamminiemi, was reserved for President Urho Kekkonen’s use after he stepped down from office in 1981. The architectural competition for the new residence was won by Kiillemoreeni, designed by architects Raili and Reima Pietilä. Construction began in September 1989, and Mäntyniemi was inaugurated in November 1993. Mäntyniemi underwent a major renovation between 2024 and 2026, with careful respect for the original design.
Mäntyniemi was envisioned as a total work of art. The buildings, grounds, interiors, tableware, and works of art form a carefully considered whole. The building has 212 external corners, 300 windows of varying sizes, and 190 doors, 180 of which are unique. The building’s exterior materials include Finnish granite, glass and copper sheeting. The residence comprises 680 m² of private living space, 916 m² of reception spaces, and 424 m² of office space.
The work Branching: Lines of Light and Shadow (2011) by Helena Hietanen and Jaakko Niemelä has been sandblasted into the stone paving of the forecourt. Near the entrance are two sculptures by Kimmo Schroderus that were featured in the Kultaranta Sculpture Exhibition 2026 at the presidential Summer Residence in Naantali. They will remain at Mäntyniemi until spring 2027. On the left is Undercover (2026), and on the right Party Monster (2023). The outdoor lighting fixtures at Mäntyniemi were designed by Raili and Reima Pietilä.
The entrance hall of the reception area is dominated by Lemminkäinen’s Travels (1992–1993), a wall relief by Reijo Paavilainen. After the recently completed renovation, works by 14 contemporary Finnish artists were installed at Mäntyniemi. Among them is Branch (2026) by Anna Retulainen, displayed in the entrance hall. At the far end of the hall stands one of the building’s eight fireplaces.
The principal reception rooms, the Small Salon, the Grand Salon and the Dining Room, unfold from the entrance hall in a fan-shaped arrangement. The Small Salon features Broken Linear (2026), a painting by Osmo Rauhala. From the Small Salon, there is a view into the President of the Republic’s study, which also includes a library mezzanine. The study displays Globus (2026), a painting by Heikki Marila, Library (2026) by Anna Retulainen, and Gobelin (1993), a textile wall hanging by Irma Kukkasjärvi.
The Grand Salon is familiar to many from news photographs, as it serves as the venue for most of the President of the Republic’s official meetings. The freestanding furniture and light fittings at Mäntyniemi were designed by Antti Paatero specifically for the building. The Grand Salon opens onto the Sea Terrace and the garden. Beside the windows of the Grand Salon is Living Ryijy II (2018–2021), a work by Mayumi Niiranen-Hisatomi.
In the Dining Room, the President of the Republic holds meetings with, among others, parliamentary committees and larger delegations. On the wall is Kimi Pakarinen’s work The Same Blood in All of Us (1992).
The large windows of the reception rooms face south and overlook the Sea Terrace. The old pine tree growing at the centre of the Sea Terrace is an integral part of Mäntyniemi and its design.
The same design motifs found in the buildings are repeated in the outdoor structures designed by the Pietiläs. The plantings at Mäntyniemi were originally designed by landscape architect Maj-Lis Rosenbröijer. The garden’s vegetation has evolved over time. Alongside pines, rowans, silver birches and other trees, the grounds of Mäntyniemi feature scented cranesbill, astilbe, birchleaf spirea, snowdrop anemones, ferns, wood anemones, lily of the valley, dwarf shrubs, bilberries and lingonberries.
- Open house at the Mäntyniemi presidential residence
- Renovation of the President’s official residence Mäntyniemi completed
- Alfred Kordelin Foundation: From Kultaranta to Mäntyniemi: Schroderus’ Sculptures Move to the President’s Official Residence
