Alaruokanen House matters because so little old Rovaniemi survived the destruction of the Second World War. In a city better known for postwar planning, Arctic tourism, and Santa Claus branding, an older wooden building has a quiet historical weight.
It is not a major museum-style attraction, but it is worth noticing if you are walking the centre and trying to understand what was lost and rebuilt here. Rovaniemi's story is easier to grasp when a prewar fragment stands beside the newer city.