Johan Ludvig Runeberg
Finland's national poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804-1877), who also wrote the words for the Finnish national anthem, "Maamme" (our Country), lived with his family in Porvoo from for 40 years, starting in 1837. He worked as a lecturer at Borgå Gymnasium (Porvoo College) and lived at several addresses, the last of which was in the Empire district. He settled there with his wife Fredrika and his six children in 1852, living there untill his death in 1877. That home has been a museum since 1882.
The sculpture collection that comprises about 140 pieces by his son, scuplture Walter Runeberg (1838-1920), is housed nearby. The monumental works and portraits of this artist, who worked in Rome and Paris, represent idealistic Classicism. The statue Walter Runeberg created of his father, J. L. Runeberg, is located in Helsinki, and there is
a smaller version in Porvoo's Runeberg Park.