Suomenlinna Museum — Attraction in Helsinki sub-region

A relatively small museum, but essential for anyone who wants to know about Suomenlinna’s history and the ongoing conservation efforts. The film wasn’t working when we visited, but they gave us a discount because of this and we still learned a lot. Downstairs is devoted to the development of the fortress in Swedish times, its capture by the Russians and bombardment in the Crimean War, and eventual acquisition by Finland. There are interactive screens, information boards and artefacts. Upstairs is about the Finnish fortress, and the debates over the island’s purpose and future. It’s not too heavy, and a worthwhile hour if you have made the effort to visit the island in the...

It sits inside the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress and tells the site’s story, covering Finland’s era under Swedish rule, the repeated wars with Russia, and its evolution to modern times. Although the museum is small, it is well laid out, and a mini-cinema shows a short film that guides you through every key event. An upper floor focuses on Baltic Sea environmental issues, illustrating how pollution has changed the coastline over time, which is both eye-opening and well presented. If you want to understand how this coastal stronghold shaped Helsinki’s history and get a brief lesson on today’s sea-health challenges, set aside about an hour and visit, it is...

After passing this museum for years I finally took a visit inside thanks to it being included in the museum card (museokortti) that I have recently acquired. It was an interesting enough museum with a sit down screen and headphone to learn about Suomenlinna but aside from this it somehow failed to inspire as much as I was hoping. Perhaps there was simply too much distant history and not enough about Suomenlinna today which is special enough in its own way with the application process to...