Day at the National Museum of Finland

Katariina Heilala & Maiju Tuisku 2016: Päivä Kansallismuseossa
Drawings by Päivi Arenius

The bear statue at the front of the National Museum is the main character in this book.  The statue has been there since 1918 and it is made of gray granite, which is one of the most common rock type in Finland.


The bear enters the museums and notices the frescoes at ceiling painted by Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

Mamsellikello looks really like this

Bear is joined by Mamsellikello, a floor clock shaped like a woman and a large moose, who is there to see a painting of his ancestor. Together they admire archaeological items, such as a wooden moose head.

Jakkarila drawing room in the museum

The 18th century Rococo drawing room from Jakkarila looks very nice even from the book. The whole room is braught there from Jakkarila Manor, near Porvoo.

Quite a contrast is a Savupirtti from the same era. The name comes from the heating method: the smoke came freely into the room.

Can you smell the smoke just by looking at these pictures?

More glamour can be seen in the throne of the emperor, which was brought to Finland in 1808. This is the only imperial throne outside Russia.


The museum also has many practical items like skates made of bones, shingles and fishing nets.



Finally the group reaches the attic, where you can get to know the Finnish history by doing. There you can build a log house, vote in 1907 election or weave a rug. The attic is meant for over 7-year old and there is no upper limit.

Time travel of museum mice

Kirsti Manninen 2010: Museohiirten aikamatka
Illustrated by Inge Löök
Swedish translation Thomas Rosenberg


Aino and Väinö are small mice that one spring morning clean the museum chest. They found a paraso that they take outside. They see text that says Porvoo and Loviista. All of a sudden the wind takes the paraso and the mice up in the air.

The parasol takes them to
Sibbesgården
Sipoo school museum
Pornainen parish museum
 Johannes Linnakoski's childhood home
Askola local museum
Pukkila local museum
Prestbacka farm and pharmacy collection
Jokela local museum

Places visited on a map (East Uusimaa)

Strömfors forge museum
Hurtig croft
Kycklings home museum
Porlammi local museum
Loviisa city museum
Pernaja veteran museum
Isnäs steam engine museum
Achipelago museum
Sarvisalo local museum
Postbacken outdoor museum
Porvoo Old Town Hall
J.L. Runeberg home
Walter Runeberg's sculptur collection
Albert Edelfelt studio museum
Marthastuga of Qvis Wilhelms
Krakö boat museum

Hoarse cucoo of  Sibbegården

If you have seen Helsinki, this book gives many tips what else to see. Porvoo is only 45 minutes from Helsinki, the furthest place, Jokela local museum is an hour away. This book focuses on the East Uusimaa museums and I must admit, I have not visited any of them.  I feel bad. There are so many great places to visit.

The book is also very educational languagewise: the texts are both in Finnish and Swedish. So you can read the same text in both languages.

What a visit to the museum

Anna Finnilä, Jere Jäppinen, Elina Kallio and Hilkka Vallisaari 2011: Melkoinen museoretki
illustrated by Christel Rönns


Helsinki City Museum turned hundred in 2011 and to celebrate they wrote a book about behind the scenes for children.

In the book  Aunt Johanna takes Otto and Emma to visit the museum.  The museum is opening a new exhibition and Emma gets lost when she is falls into a moving box. Johanna and Otto try to find her. The look into the picture archive, work shop, map room and research lab.

Emma is finally found in the exhibition, where she pretends to be a doll. Aunt Johanna needs a relaxing bubble bath after the visit.

Museums are great. In Helsinki most of them are small enough for an hour visit as a comparison to the Heremitage or other huge museums that take a week to visit.