Villa Kleineh, Helsinki

Villa Kleineh, also known as the Adlercreutz House, is a historic villa in Helsinki’s Kaivopuisto district, opposite the Kaivohuone restaurant. It is the oldest surviving villa in Kaivopuisto. Today, Villa Kleineh serves as the official residence of the Ambassador of the Netherlands.

Trähus is the main contractor for the renovation of Villa Kleineh. Work began in August 2025 and the project will continue until autumn 2027. The client is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The villa at Itäinen Puistotie 7 was built for guests of the Ullanlinna spa. The plot was granted in 1839 and the building was probably completed the following year. The architect is not known with certainty, but Carl Ludvig Engel and his then student Jean Wik have been mentioned as possible designers.

Restaurateur Louis Kleineh bought the building as a private home in 1857, and it remained in his family’s ownership until 1928. Since then, the building has been known as Villa Kleineh. Its architecture was originally Empire in style, but the house was extended in 1858 under Jean Wik and in 1872 under Theodor Decker. Further changes were made in 1882, 1889 and 1914. In 1928 the villa was bought by Nobel Standard director Leopold Lerche, who commissioned Birger Federley to carry out major alterations the following year. At that time Villa Kleineh received its present classical appearance.