The wonderful sculptures hidden in the Finnish forest created by the "hermit" artist Veijo

artist who for 50 years lived like a hermit to devote himself to his wonderful sculpture garden.

It took Finnish artist Veijo Rönkkönen 50 years to create this garden of wonders, populated with fantastic creatures. 560 sculptures hidden in a forest that few knew, at least until 2010, when shortly after his death he was discovered by the general public.

It is said that he was a hermit artist, Veijo, who had spent his life in a rural area on the border with Russia, near the small Finnish town of Parikkala, where he created, alone, what is now known as Parikkala Statue Park.

The first sculpture was made in 1961 and since then Veijo has never stopped giving life to an immense collection of creatures representing both himself and people of different ethnicities, ages and religions, each engaged in various activities.

The artist, as we said, had chosen to live isolated from society to such an extent that in 2007, when he won an important Art Award, he decided not to withdraw it so as not to have to leave the house. He was in fact known as a very reserved person, art was his way of communicating with the outside world.

His sculpture park, open to the public, tells the stages of his life, his growth, his dreams, his fears, his sacrifices, his need for spiritual harmony, in short, a decidedly original portrait of his personality.

The wonderful sculptures hidden in the Finnish forest created by the

Some works are equipped with internal speakers that emit incomprehensible sounds, others with real human teeth, and each of them is unique and special.

Today, its wonderful garden has become Parikkala's main contemporary folk art center with 30 visitors each year coming here to see it. Here is a taste of this special place.