Many travelers who have visited Finland note that the capital of this state differs from many European cities in its original architecture, special Scandinavian flavor and a sense of peace and tranquility.
City features
Tourists who visit Helsinki for the first time are surprised by the unusual location of the city: arriving by sea, you immediately get to the city center from the ship's ramp. There is another fact that strikes the inexperienced guests of the city - a huge number of museums in Helsinki.
Looking at an advertising booklet or a guide to the capital of Finland, you will not believe your eyes - there are 80 museums in the city. Most of the museums in Helsinki are dedicated to a particular event or era, they are very modest in size.
Art Museum
Art lovers should know that the Museum of Fine Arts in the Finnish capital displays exhibits of very interesting subjects. It consists of two parts. The first is the Tennis Palace Museum, and the second is the Meilahti Museum. It annually hosts many exhibitions of various subjects.
The vast majority of all exhibits are paintings by artists, which they kindly provide to the museum themselves, but there are also many works that the museum purchases at its own expense. Today this museum in Helsinki offers its visitors an extensive exhibition consisting of more than seven and a half thousand paintings. Among them are the works of such famous masters as Järnefelt, Simberg, Halonen.
Museum of Design
This museum in Helsinki is one of the oldest in the city. It was founded in 1873, when there was not even such a term as “design”. At that time, the Craft Society existed in the city. It was it that laid the foundation of the museum collection, acquiring hundreds of design items at the Vienna Exhibition. They were visual aids for students studying at the School of Applied Arts, as well as exhibits that lovers of grace and beauty admired.
For a century, the collection has been replenished with designer exhibits. In 1978, the museum was transferred to a building built by architect Nyustrem in 1895. It is a real decoration of the city, past which it is impossible to pass - the original neo-Gothic architecture and unusual design elements instantly catch the eye.
Expositions
On the ground floor of the museum there is a central exhibition dedicated to the development of applied art in Finland. All exhibition halls have different themes: furniture and interior items, dishes, accessories, unique needlework patterns, etc. Old photos, drawings, drawings by the most famous designers of the world are also stored here.
On the second floor are temporary exhibitions that demonstrate the achievements of modern design, which reflect development trends. Unusual items that amaze with their originality are stored here.
Museum for lovers of contemporary art
The huge avant-garde building houses the Museum of Modern Art in Helsinki. It is a universal center of art and culture of the 21st century. Spacious, unusually decorated rooms have twenty-five galleries that display works of contemporary art.
Excursions to the Helsinki Museum of Art are unusual: accompanied by a personal audio guide. This is a special electronic multilingual device (5 languages), with which you can get acquainted with the exhibits. This museum provides everything that will help visitors feel comfortable: a restaurant, cafe, library.
Museum of Natural History
If you are interested in nature, you are fascinated by the history of the development of flora and fauna on our planet, then you should definitely visit the Museum of Natural History in Helsinki. His visit is organized in an original and entertaining way. At the entrance, where visitors are greeted by a huge elephant figure, you will be asked to take a piece of paper with a crossword puzzle printed on it and a pencil. Bypassing all the museum's expositions, you can gradually answer all the questions of the crossword puzzle.
The museum has four thematic sections. Of great interest is the hall in which the night in Africa is recreated with the flickering of large bright stars, the cries of exotic birds, a huge hippo that opens its mouth. The skillfully executed dummies of a dinosaur, a giant squid, give a complete picture of these ancient inhabitants of our planet.
Young visitors can be stroked by some exhibits, but only those on which there is a special icon - a small palm.
City Museum
Compared to other European capitals, the city of Helsinki is still very young. Nevertheless, its history goes back 450 years. The Helsinki City Museum, located on Senate Square, stores many interesting exhibits and documents related to the appearance and development of the Finnish capital.
Here you can visit the exposition "Helsinki Skyline". The Finnish organizers of the exhibition divided the history of the city into three stages - the rule of Sweden, life as part of the USSR and independence. This museum includes eleven branch museums that are scattered throughout the city.
Seurasaari Museum
In this picturesque place, many residents of Helsinki and guests of the city like to relax. The island of Seurasaari is connected to the mainland by a pedestrian bridge. Here, in the open air there is an interesting museum, which presents the provincial past of the country.
From all over Finland, farm buildings, houses, windmills, stables, saunas and even an old church were brought here. There are yurts made of deer skins here. In antiquity, Finnish reindeer herders lived in them. Vacationers from all over the country come to this wonderful islet. Here are held festivities with songs, dances. Newlyweds come to get married in an old wooden church. There is a cafe and restaurant serving national cuisine.
Tourists reviews
Most tourists believe that the Finnish capital is an amazing city, where there are many interesting monuments. Here everyone can choose a museum that will be of interest to him. If this is your first visit to the city, start your acquaintance with the City Museum, where you can find interesting documents related to the history of the city. The oldest in the city Museum of Design makes a huge impression. The museum on the island of Seurasaari not only allows you to find out how the Finnish peasants lived in the past, but also gives you the opportunity to relax in the lap of nature.