Oct 15, 2008
Continued from Helsinki City Museum: Old Helsinki days
At the second floor is the Russian era where more interesting artifacts are displayed. We took longer time at another section in the ground floor which highlights the era of Finnish independence from Russian rule, the consequent changes in Finnish lifestyle and the city’s progress that followed.
Museum caption in English: “Ration cards with cases and paper fabric purse from the 1940s. Food was rationed between 1939 and 1954.”
Museum caption in English: “Name tag and identity disc of child evacuee. 1939-45 more than 70,000 children evacuated from Finland to Sweden, Denmark and Norway.”
This is the top view of a miniature model of a clothing factory which I find so charming. The tiny dolls are busy seaming and working on equally tiny pieces of textile and sewing machines.
A huge poster of “I live in Helsinki” in many languages. Can you spot your own language here?
The multicultural environment in Helsinki is well summed up by these paragraphs posted in a nearby wall:
Who are we?
Helsinki is once again a multicultural city. In ten years refugees and immigrants have moved to Helsinki from all corners of the world. Today, there are 200 different mother tongues spoken in Helsinki. However, foreigners make up around just five per cent of the Helsinki population.
Finland joined the European Union in 1995. Despite geographical distance, Finland is closer to mainstream Europe. People and goods can move freely within EU Member States. The introduction of a common European currency brings us even closer to Europe.
Population growth in Helsinki has accelerated since the 1990s. The IT breakthrough has added to the attraction of the Helsinki region. In the midst of rapid change, people want to cling to something familiar and permanent. For example, there is a growing interest in Helsink slang. The Helsinki spirit of tomorrow is a blend of old and new.
The few hours spent going through the history of Helsinki as a city (and of Finland as a whole) left an impression of admiration, knowing that it went through hard and difficult times such as fire devastation, children being evacuated to nearby countries, food being rationed, and other turbulent events such as wars and diseases. It thrived through those trying times and developed to be one of Europe’s modern cities.
Oct 10, 2008
While in Finland, my big sis took us on a day tour of Helsinki though our time was very much limited but nevertheless we squeezed in about an hour of visit at the Helsinki City Museum. We chose it from among the many museums listed on our guide since it was just within the city and dropping by is another way of learning more about the Helsinki’s history. I wanted so much to drop by the contemporary art museum but we really lack the time. Anyway, it was such an enjoyable one for us, we stayed longer than expected.
The museum has an ongoing exhibition titled “Helsinki Horizons” which features the history of the Finnish capital in pictures, paintings, artifacts and stories over the past 450 years. A lot of interesting items with explanations for each exhibit are printed in Finnish, Swedish and English. There were also cardboards with a list identifying each item, also in the three mentioned languages.
The museum entrance where behind the front doors, the visitors are greeted by a big screen with a film showing about the ongoing exhibition titled “Helsinki Horizons”.
At the ground floor were shown the Old Helsinki days during the Swedish era, with the scale models of ships and ancient tools used for fishing and livelihood, then the founding of Helsinki by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden, and the gradual progress of civilization.
Quick information about the Helsinki City Museum:
Location: Sofiankatu 4, Helsinki
Tel. +358 (0)9 310 36630
Cameras are allowed
Entrance is FREE
Exhibit captions in Finnish, Swedish and English
Opening hours: 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday
11am – 5pm Saturday & Sunday
Museum Shop (ground floor at the right side before the museum entrance)
Opening hours: 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday
11am – 5pm Saturday & Sunday
Picture Archives:
Customer service 10am – 3pm Mondays & Thursdays
To be continued
Jul 14, 2008
Visiting castles would always be on the travel itinerary of tourists when going to Europe. It’s like stepping into the days of kings and queens, or imagining you’re part of a fairy tale. Getting inside the medieval castle of Turku acquaints the visitor of Finland’s rich culture and history, each stair or doorway leading to more interesting rooms and displays.
The Renaissance castle exterior (or bailey) was constructed during the 15th to 16th centuries, while its main building (or keep) dates back to the early 14th century. The castle was subjected to some damage during World War II, but was gradually restored to its original grandeur through the years, afterwhich its ownership was entrusted to the Finnish state and presently managed by the City of Turku.
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