Kalevi Keihänen facts for kids
Åke Kalevi Keihänen (born June 28, 1924 – died February 9, 1995) was a famous Finnish travel agency owner. He led a company called Keihäsmatkat and changed how people traveled in Finland. Kalevi Keihänen was known for his exciting personality, long hair, and unique clothes. In his advertisements, he often wore a fancy chinchilla fur coat with just swimming trunks underneath! This coat was very expensive. People said he got his style from a Danish travel boss named Simon Spies.
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Kalevi Keihänen's Journey in Travel
Kalevi Keihänen was born in Vahto, near Turku. His family later moved to Kihniö when he was a small boy. After serving in the Lapland War, he moved to Tampere. There, he started a car rental business. His first step into the travel world was in 1954. He organized trips for athletes to a sports championship in Bern, Switzerland. Later, he arranged boat trips to Visby, Sweden.
Starting Keihäsmatkat
In 1965, Keihänen started his own travel company, Keihäsmatkat. In the late 1960s, this company began selling very affordable trips. Finns could now easily travel to sunny holiday spots in southern Europe. Kalevi Keihänen once said that he flew 100,000 Finns to southern Europe every year! The years 1970 to 1972 were the best financially for Keihäsmatkat. However, the company got the most attention from 1973 to 1974.
Keihänen was very good at using publicity to get free advertising. He believed his flights were for everyone. He said that "the common public traveled on his flights." The main office of Keihäsmatkat in Helsinki became a popular meeting place for celebrities. His friends included actor Tarmo Manni and publisher Urpo Lahtinen. As his business grew, Keihänen hired more people. His wife, Tuovi Keihänen, was the company's financial director.
Launching Spear Air
In the early 1970s, Keihänen even started his own airline called Spear Air. It had two large planes, both DC-8-32 models. They were named Härmän Jätkä and Härmän Mimmi. He had ordered a third plane, Reissumies. However, the order was canceled because Keihäsmatkat faced problems.
Winter Adventures
Kalevi Keihänen was also interested in winter holidays. In the 1960s, he worked with his friend Urpo Lahtinen. Together, they built the first ski slopes and ski lifts at Tahkovuori in Nilsiä.
Challenges and Legacy
A big problem for Keihänen was the 1973 oil crisis. Also, he had made many large investments. These things caused financial trouble for his companies. When the bank stopped giving money, Keihäsmatkat had to close down in May 1974. This also meant his airline stopped flying. Over 200 employees lost their jobs. About 1800 passengers were abroad when the company went out of business.
Keihänen later started a new company in 1978 called Seiväsmatkat. But it only stayed in business for a short time. He also owned a holiday resort in Kihniö called Pyhäniemi. Most of his farms in Kihniö were sold in 1976.
Kalevi Keihänen passed away in 1995 at the age of 70. He is buried in the Turku Cemetery. In 2007, a newspaper article called him one of the most important people in Finland's history. He is often called the "father of mass tourism" in Finland.
Korpilinna: Keihänen's Unique Home
From 1969 to 1970, Kalevi Keihänen bought a house called Korpilinna. It was located in Pohjois-Tapiola, Espoo. He turned it into a home for his family between 1971 and 1972. This large, three-story house had 470 square meters of living space. It included six bedrooms and office areas. There was even a special room with a bar for up to 30 people, and a swimming pool!
Outside, the house had a children's play cabin and a smoke sauna. There was also a fountain and an artificial pond. In this pond, Keihänen raised rainbow trout. The famous artist Irwin Goodman lived in Keihänen's house for six months. This happened after Goodman lost his own apartment in 1976.
Eventually, the house was sold. The new owner rented it out to other people. In 1988, the house was sold again to a construction company. They took it apart and built a new building with 12 apartments in its place in 1994.
