Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, Helsinki, Finland

Seurasaari is a museum island, which consists of old, mainly wooden buildings transplanted from elsewhere in Finland and placed in the dense forest landscape of the island. The Open-Air Museum was founded in 1909. All the different provinces of Finland are represented in the well preserved old buildings and they give an overall view of Finnish countryside life from the 18th to the 20th century. At present, there are 87 separate buildings at Seurasaari Museum.

Seurasaari has also a variety of wildlife, especially birds, but also red squirrels and hares. It’s very popular place for citizens who want enjoy the peaceful outdoor atmosphere.

User Reviews

Maria Paz Fernandez Vitale (8 months ago)
Beautiful island to go walking. It is very well maintained!

Κέλυ Λιαράτσικα (10 months ago)
Very interesting island! It is worth a visit. It is a quiet place where you can relax, walk, eat and run!!! The houses are wooden and the landscape is like a tale.

Kaan Ozkan (11 months ago)
Very nice experience. You can reach easily with bus. No bicycles are allowed, but super for a walk or run. Fishing is forbidden as well as feeding the birds

H K (12 months ago)
Nice place to walk around. Beautiful views of Helsinki skyline. Couple of kilometers wal around. Old buildings and heritage.

Debaleena Sain (2 years ago)
In my short few days of visiting Helsinki, I got the chance to visit this one island and I could not have been more grateful! The island is accessible by public transport with a 20 minute beautiful walk from the bus stop. There is a small parking lot and bike rack as well. I visited in autumn, so it was not crowded. Got to see a few birds and squirrels even during this time. As the leaves were changing colours, the island looked incredibly beautiful. There are many walking trails, but no food places nearby (or not sure if those were closed due to off-season), so bring your own food for this short, beautiful, and quite hike.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Ninara

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The Church of the Holy Cross

The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).

The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.

The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.

The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.

Seurasaari Open-Air Museum

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