The National Museum of Finland — Attraction in Helsinki sub-region

I thought long and hard about why I disliked this museum so much. The reason: it is aimed at the worst possible demographic, the educated normie. Nothing wrong with normies, the Danish museum of Moesgaard, which has a very similar concept for example, is also aimed at them. The good thing moesgaard does though, is that it still tells a full story that not only builds on known concepts in Danish history, but also explains the fundamentals. Here is where this museum goes completely square.

I walk into an exhibition about prehistoric Finland, and there are some interesting exhibition pieces. Instead of explaining what we know about the Finnish prehistory however, the exhibition decides to wax lyrically about why Bishop Henry never existed and he was never martyred because there are no contemporary written sources about it, and in the same breath writes in detail about the practically undocumented Finnish religion, where suddenly, relics, tradition and etymology are enough to establish its veracity. Finally, I was excited to find interesting views on the winter war, and my wife to get to know the basics for it, and that monumental figure of Finnish history, Mannerheim. At this point unsurprisingly, the winter war is only mentioned, outside of chronological order, on one single wall with some uninteresting pictures.

Here again comes into the picture the educated normie. He knows what the winter war is. But what does he not know, this rootless cosmopolitan? What the Sami and women did. The museum goes on and on about this, not at all addressing the cause and walk of the conflict, leaving us completely bewildered, this being Finlands greatest hour. Mannerheim is only mentioned twice, both as a side note in a larger picture when he was twice responsible for, in every sense of the word, the survival of Finland. This to me almost seems like the administrators of this museum seem to think of this era as shameful.

The only parts I found laudable were the detail on recent history, and the collection of prehistoric objects. Apart from that it is a museum focused on platitudes, pandering to its international demographic and some sort of faux intellectualism, which one can smell from a million miles away. It goes on and on about the meaning of history, but fails to tell it. all in all, while we did not regret our visit my review is mainly to signify that it could be many many times better, and that it's shameful it is not for there is rarely a nation that has achieved more during its short existence, and its worth...

Surprisingly fun! This is an amazing museum. What surprised me most was how child-friendly of a place it is, with interactive exhibits well designed to inspire curiosity in children, and offers something interesting for each level of of childhood maturity and understanding. It's not just a stuffy ark, nor a simple repository of relics, but should indeed inspire inquisitive people of all ages. Must be experienced in person for the full effect. Accessable in many languages, lively, surprising, delightful, inspiring, sometimes gay, sometimes spooky, I cannot but recommend this museum very highly. Many exhibits are designed to appeal to Helsinki residents, others to the local people of Uusimaa, or to all Finnic peoples generally, including those in Northern Ural and Siberia, while others still appeal to the common history of all Hanseatic peoples of the Baltic. It's a craftwork museum, dedicated to the ingenuity Finnish minds both prehistoric and modern. It's oddly also a museum of ancient Roman Trade, obliquely, when it's not tangentially a museum of Scandic Heritage or is glancing askance of Slavic Tradition, all on which are obviously on display inexplicitly. What cannot be missed, because zero room is left to doubt, is the empirical explication of the history of the strength of the Finnish Peoples in the face of so much unfathomable adversity, and the museum stands as an attestation of Sisu in the face of competing empires. Take your time and contemplate each item, carefully chosen to display, and how! It's an experience ranging from ancient mythology and lore to 19th Century courtly finesse and regal refinements. It's a museum of hardship, sorrow, ethnographic endurance, and ultimately victory, full of fear and dispair; courage and hope. Don't sleep on this one. It's truly an excellent, fun experience. And unlike the rest of the city, the coffee...

Very good prehistory exhibition with new angles on the Antrea Net & other findings from the Bronze and Iron Ages that show how people have been able to live here since the glaciers melted. Widespread trade of goods and ideas from surrounding lands is also apparent; ancient people have obviously been as keen to innovate and keep up to date with the latest ideas and cultural developments as we are nowadays.

The Mesoamerican exhibition was outstanding as well, showing how continental cultures could grow strong, wealthy, and develop in hugely different directions without much - if any - contact.

The Story of Finland exhibition was nice yet a little banal, but this is more because of the actual events of our recent decades than the exhibitors' admirable efforts to piece together a timeline of the most relevant stories, persons, and items.

Further, the National Museum building is also testament to an æsthetic of a bygone age that towers far above the hasty steel-glass-and-concrete-element construction of our own age.

Lastly, leaving a bullet hole from the time of the Finnish Civil War on the doors of the main entrance of the museum unmended is an excellent way of reminding us that we are not separated from history by anything else than...