At a Time When the Student Village Was Young 

Housing, Kortepohja, Kylä magazine, News / 11.9.2026

Text: Mari Lähteenmäki | Pictures: Tiitu Design

The Student Union sought to provide affordable housing for Jyväskylä’s growing student population. A major step came in 1966 when the City of Jyväskylä and estate owner Wilhelm Schildt donated Student Union some land in Kortesuo. By the early 1970s Kortepohja filled with students. Shared studios—two students per apartment—maximized capacity during expansion. 

Eeva Ruotsalainen arrived in 1974 to study sociology and quickly settled into communal life with a friend. Timo Ruotsalainen followed in 1975 after military service. The lively social environment, especially at the student restaurant Rentukka, brought them together.  

Paths Cross at the Rentukka Stairs 

Rentukka was a regular haunt for students and one of the favourite restaurants among the city’s young adults. Opened in 1972, the restaurant had over 300 seats, and the lines were long. “A nice-looking guy caught my eye,” Eeva recalls. “I think we even went dancing,” Timo says, although he cannot recall the details of the evening very clearly. 

The next day, Timo headed as usual to a lecture at Villa Rana. By chance, Eeva accompanied Ritva to the same lecture to explore studies in economics. “We noticed that the guy from Rentukka was there. I thought he must be quite reliable if he studies economics.”  
“Otherwise, nice,” Timo adds. 

Eeva and Timo exchanged greetings at lectures and while travelling between the campus and Kortepohja. Then came the evening when M.A. Numminen performed at Rentukka. 
“The atmosphere was great. That’s when we started regularly dating.” 

Shared Spaces and Homes of Their Own 

Kortepohja fostered strong community through shared spaces and active resident participation. The Student Union encouraged engagement, aiming to prevent isolation. Floor lounges in buildings A, B, C D and E, hosted frequent celebrations, from Christmas parties to May Day festivities. Eeva and Timo often took part in these. “We had a wide circle of friends,” Eeva says. 

Timo had photography as a hobby, and Eeva became accustomed to the smell of chemicals in the photography lab in Building L while watching him develop pictures. When Eeva’s roommate planned to move into a shared apartment, Timo suggested they move in together. “I said I would only do so after we were married.” Then came a romantic proposal. “Timo said, well then let’s get married.” “No need to complicate things,” Timo replies. 

The wedding was held in Eeva’s hometown. A celebration for friends took place in the studio apartment in Building C, which Eeva remembers as their first home together. “There’s a wonderful photo of it: the room is packed with people, all of them smiling.” 

A Village of Adults 

Kortepohja’s progressive attitude allowed mixed living, including unmarried couples, reflecting trust in students’ independence. The practical view to the matter was captured neatly by the Student Village’s first property manager, Leo Kamunen, in an interview for a historical publication in the early 2000s:  

“From the very beginning, we didn’t set out to separate people—we assumed that adults know what they’re doing.” 

Timo recalls that, once married, they were soon offered the chance to move into a corner studio in Building E. “It was clearly bigger.” Friends helped the young couple with the move. The 1978 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti were already watched on their own TV set, which the couple had picked up from a second-hand shop. 

A Different World 

During spring 2026, Soihtu Housing searched among its current tenants for a couple willing to share their story in this article. No one volunteered. 

The Youth Barometer shows that young people’s lives are increasingly shaped by pressure and uncertainty, which are also reflected in relationships and expectations for the future. The Family Barometer by the the Family Federation of Finland (Väestöliitto) indicates that while most Finns would like to be in a relationship, in the digital world fewer rely on chance encounters—like those on the Rentukka stairs—to find a partner. 

Timo Ruotsalainen, however, offers one final hopeful perspective: “People who are in love are spending time with their loved ones—they’re not reading Soihtu announcements.”