131. Regional Travel #3.2 - Helsinki City Museum
The Helsinki City Museum (Helsingin Kaupunginmuseo) is located at the edge of Senate Square, so it's easy for tourists to discover on even the quickest visits to the city. I had noticed it on my first stay here, but had higher priority destinations in mind during that trip. On my return to Helsinki, this seemed like a great stop on my way from Uspenski Cathedral back to the sights further west. Surprisingly (for a Nordic country), admission to the City Museum is free. Most other museums in Helsinki have admission fees a bit higher than what one typically sees in the United States or Europe.
As expected, the permanent exhibits focus on the history of the city, particularly throughout the 19th century, with great photographs displayed throughout the galleries. My favorite part of the museum was the huge scale model of the city, which was a good way to see the relative position of different parts of the city and plan out my walking route for the rest of the weekend.
On the other hand, the museum includes a strange mix of exhibits. At least 30% of the space is known as "Children's Town", and probably aimed at kids between the ages of approximately three and six or seven. In stark contrast, the special exhibit on the top floor was named "Helsexinki" and focused on the liberalization of laws related to gender and sexuality - and changes to societal norms - during recent decades in Finland. As strange a pairing as I've seen in a museum anywhere.
Altogether, I spent perhaps 75-90 minutes exploring this museum. It's not especially large, much of it is aimed at children, and it otherwise provides a broad but shallow overview of some notable moments in Helsinki's history. I recommend this as a fun stop for travelers with children, but otherwise it is unlikely to be one of the highlights in Helsinki for solo adult tourists.
As expected, the permanent exhibits focus on the history of the city, particularly throughout the 19th century, with great photographs displayed throughout the galleries. My favorite part of the museum was the huge scale model of the city, which was a good way to see the relative position of different parts of the city and plan out my walking route for the rest of the weekend.
On the other hand, the museum includes a strange mix of exhibits. At least 30% of the space is known as "Children's Town", and probably aimed at kids between the ages of approximately three and six or seven. In stark contrast, the special exhibit on the top floor was named "Helsexinki" and focused on the liberalization of laws related to gender and sexuality - and changes to societal norms - during recent decades in Finland. As strange a pairing as I've seen in a museum anywhere.
Altogether, I spent perhaps 75-90 minutes exploring this museum. It's not especially large, much of it is aimed at children, and it otherwise provides a broad but shallow overview of some notable moments in Helsinki's history. I recommend this as a fun stop for travelers with children, but otherwise it is unlikely to be one of the highlights in Helsinki for solo adult tourists.
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