National Museum, Helsinki

The National Museum of Finland is a building with a with a tall spire which looks more like a church than a museum. It contains a permanent exhibition of Finnish life from prehistoric times to the present, divided into six departments on four floors. Here they are:

1. The Treasure Troves, 2. Prehistory of Finland, 3. The Realm, 4. A Land and its People, 5. The Past Century, 6. Workshop VINTTI

My favourite ones were Room 222 (Life in the Land of the Sámi)and Rooms 223-224with traditional folk costumes.

The museum is open: Tue 11am - 8pm, Wed-Sun 11am - 6 pm. It is closed on Mondaysand national holidays. Entry fees (2010) was 7,00 euros for adults and free for under 18 years old.
Free admission Tuesdays from 5.30 pm to 8 pm and with Helsinki Card.

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This small museum shows the story of Finland, from pre-historic times until the present day. I even saw some CD form the band HIM on display. The permanent exhibition is not exhaustive, but it give a good view of the evolution of Finland. And the museum is housed in a beautiful building, close to the parliament.

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National museum represents the history of Finland from prehistoric times to the present.
Open: Tuesday - Wednesday 11:00 - 20:00, Thursday - Sunday 11:00 - 18:00. Closed on Mondays.

Entrance fee: 7 € /adult, children for free.

I trekked through the rain to the National Museum of Finland. Free admission with the Helsinki Card. The museum is large with many rooms -- each with a different exhibit. A visit to this museum helps provide a much better appreciation of Finnish history and culture. Highly recommended.

This is not an old church although it was built to look like one. The location is quite central and within easy walking distance of many hotels.
Although we spent most of our trip in Southern Ostrobothnia, we spent one day shopping and the other full day at the museum.
This museum has a super easy layout, you can walk seamlessly through the pre-historic times, through the Middle Ages and into the present.
The guided tour was excellent, then when my husband went down to the coffee shop, I could easily find the treasures I wanted to photograph.

The Finnish National Museum displays findings from prehistoric times to the present. It is located in a beautiful Jugendstil building which was finished in 1910 and inaugurated in 1916.
Opening times: Tue/Wed 11am-8pm, Thu-Sun 11am-6pm
Admission is 5,50 EUR (free on Tuesdays from 5.30pm-8pm)

I have taken an interest in the museum ever since first visiting Helsinki - it was closed for refurbishment during that visit. Some year or so later, it was forced to open early as part of the Helsinki Festival, a rash move some thought. Sadly there was a great deal of criticism, but the staff have risen above thisand have developed the museum wonderfully since then. It is a good place to view Finland from prehistoric times right through the period of independence; showing educational changes and now into the world of high technology.

There are wonderful ceiling paintings by Akseli Gallen-Kallela; a vist is not complete without considering the paintings on the ceiling and their significance to the whole country.

The museum also has a good coffee shop.

One thing I love about national museums is that they always give you an insight into a countrys history that no book can give you - you can stand there and look at artifacts that are hundreds of years old - I love it!

The museum has permanent and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibitions are divided into five different sections; The Prehistory of Finland, The Realm, A Land and Its People, The Treasure Troves and The Past Century. Each touches on different aspects of society, culture and time before and after industrialisation (plus much more).

From entering the 'Prehistory of Finland' room it is easy to work your way from the Ice Age to the 21st Century. There are many interesting archaeological artifacts, paintings, sculptures, jewellery, clothes and armoury to keep you walking around the museum for ages.

There is also a cafe in the museum.

Opening hours:
Closed Modays
Tue-Wed: 11am-8pm
Thurs-Sun: 11am-6pm

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Finnish history was a big blank for me but after having been here i know it all, at least i think i do, haha.
I have seen lots about its prehistoric past, middle ages and recent history.

One exhibition i particularly liked was the medieval church statues and ornaments. So rich in color and so touching in the woodcarvings. I have added a picture, it is a bit dark tho. But I hope you can see what I like about them.

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It looks like a church, but in fact, it is the main authority on Finnish history. Something to do on a rainy day but only if you are a history lover. Even though they have also displays of quite modern stuff, the majority is old, older and oldest. There are nice frescoes by Akseli Gallen-Kallela picturing some main events of Finland's national epic, Kalevala.