The National Museum of Finland

Helsinki, Finland

The National Museum of Finland presents Finnish history from the Stone Age to the present day, through objects and cultural history. The permanent exhibitions of the National Museum are divided into six parts. The Treasure Troves presents the collections of coins, medals, orders and decorations, silver, jewellery and weapons. Prehistory of Finland is the largest permanent archeological exhibition in Finland. The Realm presents of the development of Finnish society and culture from the Middle Ages 12th century to the early 20th century, through the Swedish Kingdom Period to the Russian Empire Era. The "Land and Its People" presents Finnish folk culture in the 18th and 19th centuries, life in the countryside before the industrialisation.

Workshop Vintti - Easy History, is an interactive exhibition, where visitors can study the history of Finland and its culture using their hands and brains. It is based on experimentation and personal experience, and the tasks and assignments also point the way to exploring the permanent exhibitions of the museum.

The museum's entrance hall ceiling has ceiling frescoes in the national epic Kalevala theme, painted by Akseli Gallén-Kallela, which can be seen without an entrance fee. The frescoes, painted in 1928, are based on the frescoes painted by Gallén-Kallela in the Finnish Pavilion of the Paris World Fair in 1900.

The building of the National Museum was designed by architects Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren, and Eliel Saarinen. The appearance of the building reflects Finland's medieval churches and castles. The architecture belongs to national romanticism and the interior mainly to art nouveau. The museum was built from 1905 to 1910 and opened to the public in 1916. The museum was named the Finnish National Museum after Finland's independence in 1917.

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Details

Founded: 1905-1910
Category: Museums in Finland
Historical period: Russian Grand Duchy (Finland)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Dirk (11 months ago)
Interesting and educating exhibition about the whole (pre)history of Finland. I especially loved the many interactive installations. Two less stars because the audio guide doesn't have all clips in English and on certain points they spread The Message™. This nonsense has no place in a history museum.
Lauren O (12 months ago)
If you are like me and this is your first visit to Finland, I highly recommend getting to understand the history of the country with a visit to this museum. Great artefacts, some really interesting ways of interacting with some of the exhibits. A lot of effort and care has been put into telling Finland's story here.
Adnan Mahmood (14 months ago)
This is a very unique museum. It usually takes around 4 hours if you are an art & history enthusiast, other than that 3 hours is probably enough. All the descriptions are available in English and have timeline included. The system is very interactive and you won't get bored. It offers free entry on every Friday fom 4pm-6pm. It's a must visit place in Helsinki.
Dan Leung (14 months ago)
Truly an amazing museum if you like history and relics from Finland. You have to step away your bags and coats in lockers provided which are free. You can pick up the tokens near the lockers. The staff are so friendly and their memories are top notch. The displays are great. Most museums have lots of activities especially for children but adults can have fun too.
april evans (15 months ago)
This museum was really interesting and had lots of history and neat things to see. I highly recommend take a trip to see it. Have free lockers to put your stuff in also. There is a cafe but we didn't eat in it. Looked nice though. Gift shop had some finds for us to bring back.
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