An absolute must when visiting Rovaniemi. You will need something to do during the day when waiting see the Northern lights and Arkituim is number 1. First of all, I would recommend NOT buying the culture pass, the Pilke Museum next door is optional unless you really like wood and the Contemporary Art / Orchestra place might not be your 'cup of tea' but that's your call. Now about Arktikum...

....The building Arkituim is housed in is a piece of art itself, with it's long narrow curved glass corridor. It is said on a clear night you can see the Northern lights from there, but during our trip (mid Jan 2020) it was cloudy and snowing. When we visited there was an exhibition on the left hand side of the main corridor about the changes in the Arctic region over the last 60 years from a conservation perspective. This was fascinating and it's centrepiece was the lay down room to watch a video projection of the Northern Lights.

On the right of the corridor was an exhibit covering the people, history and animals of Lap Land and Rovaniemi. This was very well made and the section on WWII and the winter war storyline was inspiring to see the plight of the Finn's against the Russians and equally heart breaking to see the devastating bombing of Rovaniemi.

Overall, I really enjoyed Arktikum and it's portrayal of Finnish Lapland. And let's face it, Finland is a pretty boring place at the best of times (unless you like the same tree 12 million times in a row or hanging out at petrol stations playing poker machines), but Lap Land is an amazing place and should be visited at least once in your life with Arkituim high on your list of things to do whilst there.