Moomin Museum facts for kids
The Moomin Museum (called Muumimuseo in Finnish and Muminmuseet in Swedish) is a special museum in Tampere, Finland. It used to be known as Moominvalley. This museum is all about the Moomins, who are beloved characters created by Tove Jansson.
Inside the museum, you can see many amazing things. There are original drawings by Tove Jansson, who brought the Moomins to life. You'll also find about 40 tiny models and scenes that show different Moomin adventures. A highlight is the Moomin House, which is 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) tall! The museum has around 2,000 items on display. There's also a special multimedia show about Moominvalley. If you want to take a piece of the Moomin world home, there's a Moomin Shop. The Moomin Library has Moomin books in many languages.
Contents
The Moomin House: A Special Creation
The famous blue, five-story miniature Moominhouse was built by Tuulikki Pietilä, Pentti Eistola, and Tove Jansson herself. They started building it in the late 1970s. Tove Jansson always drew the Moomin House as round in her books. However, for a special art show in Bratislava in 1979, they made the model house square so it would fit in a corner.
How the Moomin House Was Built
The builders didn't use any detailed plans. They built the house freely, floor by floor, letting their creativity guide them. The house doesn't follow just one building style. Instead, it mixes ideas from many different styles. The first floor was designed by Tuulikki Pietilä's brother, who was an architect named Reima Pietilä.
Journey of the Moomin House
After the 1979 art show, the Moomin House was supposed to travel around the world. But it only toured the Nordic countries from 1980 to 1983. After its tour, it went to Tove Jansson's studio because it needed some repairs. It was shown again at the Art Museum of Tampere in 1986. Finally, in 1987, it found its permanent home at the new Moomin Museum, where it has been ever since. Pictures of this Moomin House were even used in An Unwanted Guest, one of Tove Jansson's Moomin picture books.
Museum's Journey and New Home
For many years, until the end of 2012, the Moomin Museum was located in the basement of the Metso building in the city library. In December 2012, the museum moved to the basement of the Tampere Art Museum. While the museum was moving, a small collection of Tove Jansson's Moomin drawings were shown at the Vapriikki Museum Centre.
A New Beginning
The newly updated Moomin Valley museum opened on January 2, 2013. The Moomin statue that was outside the Metso building stayed in its original spot for a while. Then, in 2016, the museum moved again to its current home in Tampere Hall. At this time, it was renamed the Moomin Museum. The Moomin statue also moved to the new location. The museum officially opened in Tampere Hall in June 2017. When it opened, it was the first and only museum of its kind in the world!
See also
- Moomin World – a fun theme park on the island of Kailo in Southwest Finland
Images for kids
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Moomin Museum was located in the Tampere city library Metso until December 2012.
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A Moomin statue outside the Tampere city library Metso
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Entrance of Tampere Hall
