National Museum of Finland

60°10′30″N 24°55′46″E / 60.1749°N 24.9294°E / 60.1749; 24.9294Construction started1905Construction stopped1910Opened1916ClientBoard of Public BuildingOwnerSenate EstatesHeighttower 58 m (190 ft)Technical detailsFloor areaExhibition area more than 3,100 m² (33,000 sq ft)Design and constructionArchitect(s)Gesellius, Lindgren, SaarinenMain contractorMaster Builder August Pettersson and Master Builder Frans Johansson

The National Museum of Finland (Finnish: Suomen kansallismuseo, Swedish: Finlands Nationalmuseum) is a museum in Helsinki presenting Finnish history from the Stone Age to the present day, through objects and cultural history. The Finnish National Romantic style building is located at Mannerheimintie 34 in central Helsinki and is a part of the Finnish Heritage Agency (until 2018 the National Board of Antiquities) (Finnish: Museovirasto, Swedish: Museiverket), under the Ministry of Culture and Education.^[1]

Building

The building of the National Museum was designed by the architect company Gesellius, Lindgren, Saarinen. The appearance of the building reflects Finland's medieval churches and castles. The architecture belongs to national romanticism and the interior mainly to art nouveau. The museum was built from 1905 to 1910 and opened to the public in 1916.^[2] The museum was named the Finnish National Museum after Finland's independence in 1917. After the last thorough renovation, the Museum was re-opened in July 2000.^[3]

The museum's entrance hall ceiling has ceiling frescoes in the national epic Kalevala theme, painted by Akseli Gallén-Kallela, which can be seen without an entrance fee. The frescoes, painted in 1928, are based on the frescoes painted by Gallén-Kallela in the Finnish Pavilion of the Paris World Fair in 1900.^[3]

Exhibitions

The permanent exhibitions of the National Museum are divided into parts. There are collections of coins, medals, orders and decorations, silver, jewellery and weapons. There is prehistory of Finland, the development of Finnish society and culture from the Middle Ages 12th century to the early 20th century through the Swedish Kingdom Period to the Russian Empire Era, and Finnish folk culture in the 18th and 19th centuries with life in the countryside before the industrialisation among other exhibitions.

The collections also included the Mesa Verde artifacts from the cliff dwellings of Colorado. These were donated to the museum by the Finland Swedish explorer Gustaf Nordenskiöld. They comprised the most-extensive collection of Mesa Verde items outside the United States and one of the largest collections of native Americana outside the American continents.^[4] In 2019 it was decided to return a portion of the artifacts to the representatives of the indigenous people of the United States of America, with it agreed for some 600 items to be kept and exhibited.^[5][6]

Gas explosion in the Silver Room

On 23 January 2006 an explosion occurred at the National Museum in the Silver Room, which was caused by methane leaking into a broom cupboard from the drainage through dried floor drain and lit by a spark from the power distribution cabinet in the cleaning closet. There were two possible sources for the methane; a leak from a gas pipe under the nearby Museokatu street, or gas that developed on its own in the sewer. Later, police investigations found the cause to be a gas pipe leak. Most display cases and 49 pieces out of more than 200 silver objects in the museum's Silver Room were damaged in the explosion, although most of them only mildly. Nobody was hurt.^[7][8] All objects were successfully repaired the same year. The Silver Room was 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.

Notes

External links

BuildingsPlaces of worshipMonuments & memorialsParks & gardensIslandsCity squaresTourist attractionsHotelsMuseums

Art museums	Finnish National Gallery Ateneum Kiasma Sinebrychoff Art Museum Amos Rex Cygnaeus Gallery Didrichsen Art Museum Helsinki Art Museum Kirpilä Art Collection Kunsthalle Helsinki
Other museums	Design Museum Finnish Museum of Natural History Helsinki City Museum Helsinki University Museum Hotel and Restaurant Museum Mannerheim Museum Military Museum of Finland Museum of Finnish Architecture Museum of Technology National Museum of Finland Natural History Museum of Helsinki Seurasaari Tamminiemi

Performing arts

Theatres	Alexander Theatre Finnish National Opera Finnish National Theatre Helsinki City Theatre Swedish Theatre
Music venues	Helsinki Music Centre Finlandia Hall Kaivohuone Kulttuuritalo Tavastia Club

Other venues

Events	Christmas Market City Marathon Helsinki Festival Helsinki Pride Samba Carnaval