Finnish National Museum

Museum in rooms steeped in history

The building that houses the Kansallismuseo (National Museum) alone proves to be extremely worth seeing. Built according to plans by architects Herman Gessellius, Eliel Saarinen and Armas Lindgren, the building at first glance recalls the typical architecture of castles and churches. Built between 1905 and 1910, the building inspires with many subtleties. The museum was opened in 1916, and it is worth looking not only at the exhibits, but also at the ceiling, where there are fascinating frescoes.

The famous Finnish painter, architect and designer Akseli Gallen-Kallela, who is considered the most important representative of the National Romanticism, painted the frescoes for the Finnish pavilion for the Paris World Exhibition as early as 1900. He reproduced these frescoes in 1928 with the ceiling frescoes in the entrance hall of the Finnish National Museum. The Finnish national epic poem Kalevala is depicted here. Thus, already in the entrance hall, visitors encounter art history that touches the Finnish soul to this day.

Permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions and pop-up exhibitions

Independent Finland

The permanent exhibitions at Kansallismuseo are as diverse as life itself. A poignant exhibition entitled "History of Finland" deals with recent history. Here the years of independence are examined in depth. Among other things, the exhibition deals with wars and the struggle for independence. But the positive aspects are also highlighted and so it is also vividly shown how Finland in the last 100 years became a country of democracy and equality and above all a happy country, because according to surveys, the Finns are among the most satisfied people in the world.

Prehistoric Finland

The first settlement of Finland is of course also vividly documented in the National Museum. The exhibition is also specially peppered with hands-on exhibits and digital exhibits, so that alternative worlds of prehistoric times could be created here, making it easier to travel 10,000 years into the past. Exhibits from the Iron Age range from animal representations to silver treasures and so archaeological finds are presented here, which make you want to deal more intensively with the history of the country.

Finland's changing rulers

Another exhibition deals with how long Finland was actually under foreign rule. The history from the 13th to the 19th century with all its ups and downs is illuminated and thanks to vivid exhibits, Finnish history definitely comes alive in the minds of the visitors here.

Vintti workshop

On the third floor of the museum at the latest, it becomes clear that the National Museum is an adventure museum. Here, children from the age of 7 or younger accompanied by an adult can take part in workshops, experiment for themselves and experience history in a playful way. From the classic coffee mill to the loom, there are many things here that are hardly found in a classic household today, but were once very important. Children can also celebrate birthdays here and events are also held regularly in the rooms.

Numerous additional offers

The National Museum offers guided tours not only for the permanent exhibitions, but also for special exhibitions. Regularly changing exhibitions make the museum world even more interesting, and the museum's events are also varied, so it is always worth taking a look at the current calendar of events.