20 best museums in Helsinki – list, photo and description, opening hours, prices 2021
The “daughter of the Baltic Sea” – as the Finns affectionately call their capital – differs from other European cities with a special Scandinavian flavor, original architecture and a unique Nordic atmosphere of peace. The city is also surprising with its location near the coast of the Gulf of Finland, when those who sailed by sea literally immediately from the ship's gangway get into the city center. The museums of Helsinki are just as interesting and amazing, captivating with their extraordinary expositions.
Design Museum
How industrious and resourceful the Finns are can be seen by reading Lassil's story “Behind the Matches”, based on which Leonid Gaidai made a brilliant comedy of the same name. The film vividly depicts the life and way of life of the Finns, the ability to decorate everyday interiors with intricate handicrafts. It is no coincidence that the oldest Design Museum is located in Helsinki, which originated in 1873, when even such a term was not widely known. The Society of Crafts that existed at that time laid the foundation for the museum's collection, acquiring hundreds of original design items at the Vienna World‘s Fair.
The objects have become visual aids for students studying at the School of Applied Arts, and objects of contemplation for lovers of beauty and grace. For 100 years, the collection of designer exhibits has been constantly replenished, occupying one of the old buildings. In 1978, the museum's expositions were placed in another building specially built in 1895 by the architect Nyström, which became a wonderful decoration of the city. It is impossible to pass by indifferently – the originality of neo-Gothic architecture and design elements immediately attract attention.
The first museum floor is occupied by the central exposition “Finnish Form”, dedicated to the detailed history of the development of applied art in Finland and other countries. Each exhibition hall has its own specific theme: interior items; furniture; dishes; various accessories; samples of unique needlework, etc. Here you can see rare photos, drawings, drawings of the most famous designers in the world.
The second floor is given over to temporary exhibitions demonstrating the achievements of modern design, reflecting new development trends. Here you can see completely unusual items that amaze with their originality and attractiveness.
Address: Korkeavuorenkatu, 23. Open: every day in summer, 11.00 – 20.00
Autumn-winter: Tuesday, 11.00-20.00; Wednesday-Sunday – 13.00-18.00; day off – Monday
Ticket price (in euros): adults – 10 pence. – 8, stud. – 5, schoolchildren – free.
Museum of Contemporary Art “Kiasma”
Housed in an avant-garde building of cosmically vast dimensions, the Museum of Modern Art is a universal center of culture and art of the 21st century. In the grandiose halls with unusual interiors, there are 25 galleries of various profiles, demonstrating a variety of works of contemporary art.
There is something to be surprised here – a great number of exhibits illustrate the creative scope of the authors of works of art of various directions. Tours are accompanied by a personal audio guide – a special electronic multilingual (5 languages) device that acquaints visitors with the exhibits. Everything is provided here for a comfortable stay: there is a cafe, a restaurant, a shop and even a library.
Address: Helsinki, Mannerheiminaukio, 2.
Open for visits: Wednesday-Friday. – 10.00-20.30, Tuesday, Sunday. – 10.00-17.00; Sat – 10.00-18.00; day off – Monday
Entrance: children (under 18) – free of charge; vzr. – 12 euros, pence. – 8 euros.
Popular Science Center “Eureka”
An amazing place where even lazy and inquisitive children can feel like great experimenters and discoverers is the Evrika Science Center, which opened on April 28, 1989 in the suburbs of Helsinki – the town of Vantaa. In this unusual museum, all exhibitions are interactive, allowing visitors to become participants in various chemical, physical, mathematical and other experiments. For example, to participate in the virtual process of paper making, to conduct physical experiments.
Here you can get acquainted with 200 exhibits illustrating discoveries in the field of various sciences. Of particular interest is the summer park of scientific experiments with water “Galileo”, where they learn to build bridges, generate electricity, etc. No less exciting is a visit to the Vattenfall planetarium, equipped with a giant sphere of a 3D digital screen with a demonstration of educational and scientific films. They are voiced in 4 languages: Finnish, Swedish, English and Russian (using special headphones). The science game show “The Way to the Stars” is organized here, introducing the secrets of the Universe.
National Museum of Finland
The magnificent building, reminiscent of the architecture of a medieval Scandinavian castle, perfectly matches the purpose of being the National Museum of Finland. In fact, this is a large-scale repository of cultural and historical exhibits illustrating the path of development of the state from ancient to modern eras. Permanent and temporary exhibitions on local history, ethnography, culture and art fully reflect all aspects of Finnish life.
The Historical Department contains unique archaeological artifacts: ceramic and metal products, household items, various types of weapons, national decorations. The exhibition “Treasures” presents numismatic collections, jewelry, beautifully decorated examples of edged weapons. The National Museum is the pride of Finland, a very popular place in the capital.
Address: Mannerheimintie, 34.
Open for visits: Tue-Sun, 11.00-18.00; mon. – exit.
Entrance: adults – 10 euros; student, pensioner – 7 euros; children under 18 – free.
Amos Anderson Art Museum
The largest collection of works of art and applied art in Finland is kept in the Anderson Museum – a well-known philanthropist and collector, owner of several publishing houses and an influential newspaper in Swedish. After the death of the collector (1965), his house with all the collections became the Art Museum.
On the upper floors of the house there are permanent exhibitions, and the lower floors are occupied by temporary exhibitions. Many paintings, sculptures, photographs, objects of applied art of different styles are presented in the halls of the museum. Rare furniture, unusual-looking ceramics, amazing tapestries that belonged to Anderson delight visitors. The museum hosts seminars, lectures, conferences on contemporary art.
Address: Yrjonkatu, 27.
Ateneum Art Museum
This museum is an integral part of the Finnish National Gallery along with Kiasma and the Sinebrychov Museum. The grandiose collection of the Ateneum Museum began in 1887 with 10 paintings donated by the Russian Emperor Nicholas II to the Association of Finnish Artists. Now the Ateneum collection includes several thousand works, including the famous paintings by Van Gogh, Chagall, Repin, Vasiliev, Modigliani, Cezanne, Gauguin and other geniuses of the brush (650 works in total).
The central place of the museum is the exposition of art paintings by Finnish masters of painting Simberg, Halonen, Edelfalt and others (a total of 4,000 paintings from different eras and trends). Samples of printed graphics from Scandinavia, watercolor sketches, pencil sketches, Japanese woodcuts are generously presented. The museum building itself is an architectural masterpiece by the renowned designer Heyer.
The magnificent decoration is the merit of the famous Finnish sculptor Sjostrand, who created an amazing sculpture of Aphrodite (the museum is named after her) and busts of world-famous creators of the brush and cutter. The establishment has excellent conditions for a comfortable stay of visitors.
Address: Kayvonkatu 2.
Open for visits: Tue, Fri. – 10.00-18.00; Wednesday-Thursday – 09.00-20.00; Sat, Sun – 10.00-17.00; day off – Monday
Ticket price (in euros): adults – 15, stud. and pence. – 12, children under 18 – free.
Seurasaari Open Air Museum
A favorite leisure spot for many Helsinki residents and tourists is the island of Seurasaari, connected to the mainland by a footbridge. Here is a unique open-air museum, which visibly presents the provincial past of Finland. Residential buildings, outbuildings, windmills, saunas, stables, and an old church were brought here from all over the country. There are even yurts made of reindeer skins – the ancient dwellings of Finnish reindeer herders.
Among the wooden buildings there are unique specimens made without a single nail – evidence of the high skill of Finnish peasants. Many household items collected in the museum give a clear idea of the lifestyle of the country's rural residents, their crafts and types of work. It is a great pleasure to walk around the island among the trees, which are inhabited by many squirrels.
In summer you can relax on the beach (western coast of Seurasaari), swim and sunbathe under the northern sun. The Finns spend holidays and folk festivals on the island with dances, songs, bonfires. Young people come here to get married in a wooden church. There is a cafe and a restaurant serving national dishes. There is a house-museum of the former President Kekkonen (ruled the country for 25 years), where the flavor of the 60s of the last century has been preserved.
Open: every day in summer, 11.00-17.00; May 15-May 31, 01. 09-15. 09, Monday-Friday, 09.00-15.00; Sat-Sun, 11.00-17.00.
Entrance fee: in summer – adult. -9 €; May, Sept. – 6 €; children (from 7 to 17) – 3 €; family – 20 €.
Museum of hotel and restaurant business
In 2012, the only hotel and restaurant museum in Finland was opened in the restored building of the former cable factory. Its expositions reveal in detail all the secrets of this important area of activity, introduce the history of the emergence and development of hotels and restaurants in the capital.
Necessary attributes in the form of kitchen utensils, cutlery, hotel furniture, various menus, recipes introduce visitors to all aspects of the popular business from the 19th century to the present day.
Presented here are the kitchen, office space, hall, wine cellar, where you can see the everyday behind the scenes of the hotel business, the daily work of the staff. The unique sound design takes visitors to a restaurant of the last century, allowing you to hear the sounds of a variety show. Despite its short existence, the museum has become extremely popular among Finns and tourists.
Natural History Museum
A fascinating acquaintance with the development of the world of fauna on the planet awaits everyone in the old mansion, where the Museum of Natural History is located. The visit here is organized in an interesting and entertaining way. Right at the entrance, where everyone is met by a gigantic figure of an elephant, you can take a piece of paper with a crossword puzzle (in 5 languages) and a pencil. Bypassing museum expositions and looking at the exhibits, you can gradually answer all the questions of the crossword puzzle.
Each thematic section of the museum (there are 4 of them), temporary exhibitions are decorated in a very original, intriguing way. Of extraordinary interest is the hall in which the African night is recreated with the twinkling of bright large stars, the cry of exotic birds, the heavy steps of a hippopotamus opening its huge mouth. Skillfully made dummies of the most ancient triceratops, giant squid, dinosaur give a clear idea of these creatures. Children are allowed to stroke some exhibits marked with a palm icon: a dinosaur egg, stuffed animals.
The museum has an elevator, a cafe, a souvenir shop – the staff try to provide a comfortable journey through the world of natural history.
Address: Norra Jarnvaqsqatan, 13.
Opening hours: Tue-Fri, 09.00-17.00; day off – 11.00-16.00.
Ticket price (in euros): adults – 10, children (from 7 to 17) – 5; children under 7 years old – free of charge.
On the first Thursday of each month – admission is free: in summer – 15.00-17.00; in winter – 16.00-18.00.
Submarine “Vesikko”
On about. Suomenlinn in the fortress of Sveaborg is a kind of museum-submarine “Vesikko”. Designed by Dutch shipbuilders and launched from the stocks in Turku in 1933, the submarine participated in 2 wars (Soviet-Finnish and World War II). After the conclusion of an agreement on the prohibition of submarines in Finland between the Soviet and Finnish states, Vesikko became an unnecessary object and was abandoned for 2 decades. To prevent it from turning into rusty iron, former crew members repaired the boat and turned it into a museum (since 1973), which is part of the Military Museum of Finland.
All submarine compartments have been restored, instruments and mechanisms have been cleaned of rust and painted, and a working environment has been recreated in the utility rooms. Visitors can get a complete picture of the equipment and operation of the Vesikko submarine.
You can get here from Helsinki by ferry. The museum is open every day in summer – 11.00-18.00. Entrance price: adults – 5 €, children – 3 €, family – 12 €.
Helsinki City Museum
A separate museum is devoted to the history of the emergence and development of the capital of Finland. Its 4-storey building is located on Aleksanterinkatu street. The exposition on each floor has its own focus: on the first floor, vintage photographs are shown, on the second, the interior of a typical Finnish apartment of the 20th century is recreated, on the third, a corner with entertainment for children in retro style, and on the fourth, short-term exhibitions.
The city museum is subordinate to structural units dedicated to different pages from the life of Helsinki:
The interior reproduces the atmosphere of the everyday life of the Finnish bourgeoisie and merchants, and also clearly shows genuine examples of technical devices and equipment. Admission to the Helsinki City Museum and its affiliates is free of charge. Access is scheduled:
Diedrichsen Art Museum
The island of Kuusisaari, in the western part of Helsinki, became famous thanks to the art museum, equipped by the Diedrichsen couple. Businessman Gunnar Diedrichsen and his wife in the 1950s. began to collect works of art by Finnish masters. The core of the collection was the work of A. Gallen-Kallela, P. Halonen, E. Jarnfelt. In the 60s. masterpieces of the modernist style created by P. Picasso, K. Pedersen, A. Tapis were added to the exposition.
The private collection of the Didrichsens was presented to the public in 1965. The museum gained fame as a repository of artifacts from the pre-Columbian civilizations of America. A separate hall is dedicated to the art of Ancient China. In the park area of the estate there are 15 sculptures by contemporary authors.
The exposition is open to visitors daily (except Mondays) from 11 am to 6 pm. Ticket price 10-12 €. Children are free.
Helsinki Art Museum HAM
The uniqueness of the NAM museum lies in the vastness of its collection (more than 9 thousand exhibits) and its mosaic distribution in the urban landscape. Sculptures under the auspices of NAM have been installed on the streets and squares of Helsinki. Some of them are demonstrated in the premises of public libraries, educational institutions, medical centers. The main core of the art collection is concentrated in the Tennis Palace, next to the Kamppi metro station. The indoor tennis court was built in 1937 and is an architectural landmark of the city.
The NAM collection contains works of contemporary Finnish art (20th-21st centuries). The first exhibit of the museum was a sculpture of the poet J. Runeberg, donated to the city in 1885. The exposition at the Tennis Palace is open every day (except Monday) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The cost of an adult ticket is 12 €, for privileged categories – 10 €. Children under 18 years old are admitted free of charge.
Military Museum
The department of the Defense Institute has a specialized museum covering the history of the armed forces of the Republic of Finland. His collection includes items related to the activities of the Finnish military units and various branches of the military. The collection was shown for the first time in 1908 for the 100th anniversary of the Finnish war. Based on this collection of rarities, a museum was created in 1929. It included departments: jaeger, intelligence, naval and armaments.
To accommodate the exposition, the museum was given the building of the former barracks, built in the 80s. 19th century Since 1973, the Vesikko submarine has been open to the public as a separate exhibit in the Artillery Bay. In the 80s. The building of the Manege has been converted to the needs of the museum, where an exhibition about the history of the fortress of Sveaborg (Suomenlinna) has been created. The general fund of the Military Museum has more than 200 thousand artifacts, incl. documents, photographs, orders, uniforms, flags, etc.
It works seven days a week from 11 am to 6 pm. Ticket price: 7 € – for adults, 4 € – for beneficiaries.
Museum of the National Bank of Finland
One of the oldest in Europe, the National Bank of Finland, has acquired its own museum since 2003. Its exposition is exhibited in an old building of the 19th century, built according to the sketches of the architect Bonstedt. The building is located at the address: Snellmaninkatu street 2. The main purpose of the museum is educational. He tells about the history of monetary relations in Finland and other Scandinavian countries. The showcases show samples of money that were in circulation in different historical epochs and in different states.
Tours are free of charge by prior arrangement. The guide's story is in English, Finnish or Swedish. The duration of the tour is adapted to the requirements of the visitors. There is a shop and cafe.
The exposition is open daily (except Mondays). Schedule:
Finnish Railway Museum
At the end of the 19th century, an unusual museum was organized in the Finnish capital, in which old locomotives were provided for viewing by the public. Samples of railway equipment aroused interest among children and adults. In 1974, by decision of the authorities, the museum was relocated outside the city. Part of the exposition is housed in specially constructed premises. The old technology organically fit into the space of the former locomotive depot at the Hyvinkäa station.
The museum's collection includes locomotives, wagons, rail cars produced in the Russian Empire, the USA, and European countries. The “nail” of the excursion program is the composition of the royal family of the Romanovs. The atmosphere of the beginning of the 20th century was recreated in the premises of the station. There is a small collection of station nameplates, semaphores and signs. Visitors have the opportunity to ride on a model train, assembled on a scale of 1 to 8.
In summer, the exposition is open daily, in winter it is closed on Mondays. Working schedule: Tue-Fri. from 12:00 to 15:00, Sat-Sun. From 12:00 to 17:00. Ticket price: for a family (2 adults + children) – 30 €, for adults – 15 €, for teenagers (7-17 years old) – 5 €. Children under 7 years old are free.
Mannerheim Museum
The Mannerheim Museum tells about the life and work of the famous military leader and head of the Finnish state. It was organized in a house on the street. Kalliolinnate 14. Marshal Gustav Mannerheim rented this building for housing for 27 years (1924-51). The interior has been kept unchanged.
Living conditions and objects allow to reveal more deeply the personal qualities of the famous Finn. In everyday life, Mannerheim was unpretentious. Slept on a cot. But for work he used a luxurious desk, collected a large library. Hunting trophies are stored in a separate room. Another room is reserved for military regalia.
The house-museum is available to visitors on Friday. – Sun. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The price of a pass for adults is 12 €, for beneficiaries – 10 €. Children under 12 years old go free.
Museum of Dolls and Toys
An amazing museum, which contains a variety of dolls and toys, is of great interest to children and adults. The collection was initiated by the local artist P.Tandefelt. For a long time she was looking for rare things that children used to play with in the old days. In 1985, a woman opened access to the general public to her private collection.
The exposition is housed in a cozy wooden building built in 1911 on the territory of the Suomenlinna fortress. The museum fund includes St. 2 thousand exhibits (19-20 centuries). In addition to dolls and traditional soft toys, there are board games, miniature houses, and tin soldiers on showcases.
Schedule:
The museum is closed in October, November and late December.
Technology Museum
The National Museum of Technology occupies a site (5 thousand square meters) on an island in the center of Helsinki. For the needs of the storage facility, a complex of hydraulic structures on the banks of the Vantaanjoki River was re-equipped. The number of exhibits exceeded 60,000 copies, the photo archive contains 46,000 photographs, and the library stores 45,000 books and documents. The materials collected in the museum help to trace the path of Finland's industrial development. The halls highlight various areas of application of modern technical innovations.
The museum is closed on Mondays, on other days it works according to the schedule:
Museum of Gallen-Kallela
A native of Finnish lands, Akseli Gallen-Kallela became famous for his illustrations for the national epic Kalevala. In the suburban area of Tarvaspä, he built a studio house, which he used for living and working. In the 60s of the 20th century. the premises were converted into a museum of the artist. The exhibits collected and preserved in it tell about the life and work of the outstanding Finnish painter.
Among the works of the master are drawings, graphics, sculptures, photographs, decorative and applied products. Documents and personal belongings of Gallen-Kallela are also displayed in the rooms. The museum regularly organizes exhibitions dedicated to Finnish contemporary art.
The building is open to the public:
The pass is worth:
Children under 18 years old – free of charge.