Jan-Erik Dahlgren

Conversation with a Kökar resident

When you go for a walk on Kökar, you may well find yourself wondering what it would be like to live on a small island all year round. All the good and bad habits you’ve developed on the mainland – would they be replaced by better ones? Would the power of nature feel more important than big-city conveniences like having a pizzeria and video rental shop nearby?

We had an opportunity to chat with Jan-Erik Dahlgren, a resident of Kökar. Unlike his wife Britta, Jan-Erik is not a native of the island. He came to Kökar in 1955 as a teacher and worked here for ten years. Then he spent fifteen years on the main island of Åland before returning to Kökar to serve as the headmaster of the island’s lower secondary school.
  “It’s marvellous to be here all year round. Today we went out in the dinghy and caught a pike that we’re going to fry for supper tonight. That might not sound so remarkable if you haven’t done it yourself, but it’s an amazing outdoor experience. The archipelago around Kökar is indescribable; you’ve just got to experience it. It’s so different. I’m sure that has to do with age. The older you get, the more you enjoy the great outdoors,” Jan-Erik said.
  “But we meet a lot of people here, too,” he continued. “Here on Kökar, you chat with everybody. There are a few of us who get together regularly to play pitch, a card game, but it’s mostly idle chat really. And there’s plenty of culture for people on Kökar too. There are music groups, violin classes, choirs – everything. I never miss out on going elk hunting. This year our quota is fourteen elk. So we have got a few elk here.”

In 2008, Brudhäll Karlby was awarded the title of Finland’s Guest Harbour of the Year. When did you start the business?

  “We started with the guest harbour itself. It was built in the mid-’80s. At that time, my wife Britta and her sister Mona ran a little restaurant on the ground floor of our house. Along with the new guest harbour came more visitors, and they outgrew the restaurant. In 1991, the same year I retired from the school, the Brudhäll Hotel & Restaurant opened
for business. Our idea was to have the hotel right by the dock, but the actual design was done by Folke Wickström, at the time the city architect in Mariehamn. He thought it was an interesting project.”

What was it that made the judges choose Brudhäll Karlby as the Guest Harbour of the Year for 2008?
  “The reasoning behind the award was the service and the peaceful surroundings. We go out and personally greet each boat that arrives in the guest harbour. We talk to the guests and make sure they feel welcome. I’ve heard that some sailors who were quoted in Helsinki’s Hufvudstadsbladet newspaper said that breakfast at Brudhäll is an absolute must
for anyone who’s in the Åland archipelago,” Jan-Erik said.
  “And besides,” he added, “it doesn’t matter which way the wind is blowing – we’re sheltered from any winds here.”