Krepelin is located in Kristiinankaupunki town in west of Finland. The place is called Krepelin even though for the past two hundred years it has seen several different owners.
The main building was originally built in 1812. The style was later influenced by the european neo-gothic style.
To the right of the main building you can see the old bakery, built in 1815. On the opposite we have the two-storey warehouses built in 1806 and 1816. The warehouses on the right were built in 1811 and 1870.
Carl Wilhelm Kräpelin was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1823 and arrived to Kristiinankaupunki through Kokkola in 1846. He started off as the accountant of Anders Wendelin and after a while established his own merchant house in the Holmström mansion. After Holmström’s death in 1849 Kräpelin acquired the house. He married Maria Charlotta Estlander, born in Lapväärti in 1828.
Below you see a picture of Kristiinankaupunki at the end of the 19th century.
Like all the merchants around that time, Kräpelin bought shares of ship companies and traded internationally. Kräpelin also acquired his own ship, Delphin, which exported tar and wood and imported salt and spices from the Mediterranean. Delphin is known to have sailed between Kristiinankaupunki and at least Narva, Lissabon and Antwerpen until the beginning of the 20th century.
Kräpelin had later two sons, Casimir and August. August became a doctor in Kristiinankauunki while Casimir worked as the first mate on the Syskone, Carolina, Sofia, Bröder and Imatra ships. Casimir later acquired his own ship called China and married Fanny, daugthter of Ludvig Wendelin.
We have no other information about the time after Kräpelin except the picture below from 1948.
From 1940’s to 1960 the wholesale company called Sampo operated on the premises, after which Kerttu Jylli (born Lehtimäki) arrived from Kurikka to Kristiinankaupunki acquired the house. Kerttu and his husband Esko Jylli had a shop called Halpa-Halli in the ground floor of the main building until the year 1980. After this, their son Pasi Jylli and his wife Raija Jylli established Krepelin the company, renovated the rooms and moved to the main building.
The hotel operations were launched 2002 and is now continued by Esko and Harri, the sons of Pasi and Raija.
A more detailed description of the Krepelin history can be found (in swedish) here.
Source:
- Per-Olof Jarle: Kristinestads byggnadshistoria. Scriptum. Vasa 2006.
- Olle Haavisto: Kristinestad – En småstadsidyll. Vaasa Oy. Vasa 1985.
- Olle Haavisto: Kristinestad – En småstadsidyll 350 år. I-print/Suupohjan Kirjapaino. Kristinestad 1999.
- Christer Norrvik: Purjeiden kaupunki – Kristiinankaupungin merenkulku vuoden 1809 jälkeen. Oy Fram Ab. Vasa 1999.