December 18th Old Town Raahe Advent Calendar

The ownership of the Trade House of Lang changed hands twice through marriages, first to the Franzén family and then to the Sovelius family. The business came to an end with bankruptcy in 1933. 

Johanna Gustava Lang married Zachris Franzén, her father's accountant, at the age of 18 in 1814. After the death of Merchant Zachris Franzén, Fredrik Sovelius Jr., who was one of many sons-in-law and who had already been involved in the management of the business during Zachris's lifetime, took over the management of the business. 

The early 1930s were a time of scarcity in Finland. Businesses went bankrupt and couldn't pay their debts to the parent company such as the Trade House of Lang. In 1933, the board made the decision to close down the trading business. 

After the bankruptcy, the properties on Pekkatori changed ownership. Ltd. Raahenkulma purchased properties 17 and 18. In 1939, both properties were acquired by Otto Karjalainen, who engaged in property rental activities. 

In 1935, Alko Inc. (the Finnish government owned company with the exclusive rights to import, export, produce and sell alcoholic beverages) rented a commercial space from Otto Karjalainen and relocated to the western end of Langi's lower manor house. Significant changes to the layout were made in the western end at that time.