We are Kalevala Spirit and we have specialized in running and organizing Finnish events for over 20 years. We have successfully organized Finnish Christmas markets in Germany and other European countries.
We are a highly motivated team from different backgrounds, nationalities, and professions. Our founder, Maire Härkönen-Schwab, has always built partnerships on trust, transparency, and mutual respect, values which remain at the core of our company philosophy. We believe that everything we do and offer, should somehow be special and offer our customers an authentic experience. Furthermore, we want to offer our customers the best possible clarity about the origin, quality, and sustainability of our products and our way of working. We also want to help small Nordic manufacturers enter the Central European market.
It all started in 1998 with a few Finnish stands at the Christmas market in the small German city of Bad Wimpfen. Maire Härkönen-Schwab had the idea of bringing Finnish culture and crafts to Germany. Since then, we have spent over 20 years in the event organizing business and run four Finnish Christmas Villages in Germany.
Since 2016 we have also run an online Nordic shop currently targeting the German market, where we offer high-quality products from northern countries. The online shop and the events have common points of contact when it comes to high-quality Nordic products, so communication with our customers does not stop after an event has ended.
First Finnish Christmas village in in Bad Wimpfen, Germany.
First Finnish Christmas village in Leipzig, Germany.
First Finnish Christmas village in Hannover, Germany.
First Finnish Christmas village in Stuttgart, Germany.
Brought the first traditional Finnish log house to our Christmas Villages (the 120 m² building is over 200 years old and said to be the home of the famous “Seven Brothers”).
We had the honor of representing the Republic of Finland at the Christmas market in Brussels, Belgium, and Strasbourg, France, due to the Finnish presidency of the EU Council in 2019.
First Finnish Christmas Village in Metz, France, including our fourth Finnish log house.
Our founder Maire Härkönen-Schwab received the Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland from the Finnish president Sauli Niinistö, for her life’s work with Kalevala Spirit.
Our founder, Maire Härkönen-Schwab hand over the active management to the next generation.
Two new brands are established: FinnVillage and Northings.
Our Finnish Christmas village has been at three traditional Christmas markets in Germany for over 20 years. For every Christmas market we build a Finnish winter wonderland and offer Nordic delicacies, hot wine, crafts, live music, cooking and visits from Santa Claus.
The product selection of our Nordic online shop focuses on Nordic Moments; experiences and adventures essential for the Nordic way of living, such as the cherished moment of sauna.
These Moments are special to us and by hand-picking small- and medium-sized producers of high-quality Nordic products, we enable our clients to create their own Nordic Moments, no matter where they are located.
Furthermore, it is very important to us to introduce our customers to the people behind the products and to be as transparent as possible about the origin, material, and quality of our product selection.
Our partners and team are the heart of our company. We want to build long-lasting collaborations, that offer new and exciting win-win possibilities to both parties.
Unique hand-made ceramics
Since 2021
The weavers of good life
Since 2013
Our custom-made Glögi
Since 2001
We are always looking for new partners to expand our Finnish and Nordic product ranges, both at events and online, and establish long-lasting relationships with producers all over Scandinavia. We are especially looking to help small producers enter the Central European market.
