National Museum of Finland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids National Museum of Finland
Suomen kansallismuseo Finlands Nationalmuseum
National Museum of Finland
General information
Classification	Museum
Location	Helsinki, Finland
Address	Mannerheimintie 34
Coordinates	60°10′30″N 24°55′46″E / 60.1749°N 24.9294°E / 60.1749; 24.9294
Construction started	1905
Construction stopped	1910
Opened	1916
Client	Board of Public Building
Owner	Senate Estates
Height	tower 58 m (190 ft)
Technical details
Floor area	Exhibition area more than 3,100 m2 (33,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect	Gesellius, Lindgren, Saarinen
Main contractor	Master Builder August Pettersson and Master Builder Frans Johansson

The National Museum of Finland (Finnish: Suomen kansallismuseo, Swedish: Finlands Nationalmuseum) is a fascinating museum in Helsinki, Finland. It takes you on a journey through Finnish history, from the very first people in the Stone Age right up to the present day. You can see many cool objects and learn about Finland's cultural history. This beautiful building is located in central Helsinki and is part of the Finnish Heritage Agency.

Discover the Museum Building

An early drawing of the museum building

The National Museum building was designed by a group of architects called Gesellius, Lindgren, Saarinen. The way it looks reminds people of Finland's old medieval churches and castles. This style is called national romanticism. Inside, you'll find lots of art nouveau details.

The museum was built between 1905 and 1910. It first opened its doors to visitors in 1916. After Finland became independent in 1917, the museum was officially named the Finnish National Museum. It had a big renovation and re-opened in July 2000.

Amazing Frescoes in the Entrance Hall

When you enter the museum, look up! The ceiling of the entrance hall has amazing paintings called frescoes. These paintings tell stories from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. The famous artist Akseli Gallén-Kallela painted them in 1928. You can see these frescoes for free, even without buying a ticket to the museum. They are based on earlier frescoes Gallén-Kallela painted for the Paris World Fair in 1900.

Explore the Museum's Exhibitions

The National Museum has many permanent exhibitions. They are divided into different sections. You can see collections of old coins, medals, and special decorations. There are also displays of silver items, beautiful jewellery, and weapons.

Journey Through Finnish History

One part of the museum shows the prehistory of Finland, from ancient times. Another section explores how Finnish society and culture developed from the Middle Ages (around the 12th century) to the early 1900s. This includes the time when Finland was part of the Swedish Kingdom and later the Russian Empire. You can also learn about Finnish folk culture from the 1700s and 1800s, showing what life was like in the countryside before factories and industries became common.

Mesa Verde Artifacts

The museum also used to have artifacts from the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, USA. These items came from old cliff dwellings. A Finnish explorer named Gustaf Nordenskiöld donated them to the museum. For a long time, this was the largest collection of Mesa Verde items outside the United States. It was also one of the biggest collections of Native American artifacts outside the American continents.

In 2019, the museum decided to return some of these artifacts to the representatives of the indigenous people of the United States. It was agreed that about 600 items would stay at the museum to be shown to the public.

A Small Incident in the Silver Room

On January 23, 2006, a small explosion happened in the museum's Silver Room. It was caused by methane gas leaking from a drain into a cleaning cupboard. A spark from an electrical cabinet then lit the gas. Police later found that the gas came from a leak in a gas pipe nearby.

Most display cases and 49 out of over 200 silver objects were damaged. Luckily, most of the damage was minor. The best news is that nobody was hurt! All the damaged objects were successfully repaired that same year. The Silver Room re-opened to the public in early 2007.

Gallery

See also

• Elk's Head of Huittinen, an eight to nine thousand year old sculpture exhibited at the museum.