The National Museum of Finland, that old, living monument in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Helsinki. How does it feel to enter this building, designed in the National Romantic Art Nouveau style and erected as early as 1910? Let's dive together into the story that lies within its walls - a story of Finnish culture, history and identity.
The National Museum is like one big time machine. When you enter the museum, you are shut out by the noise and hustle and bustle of modern life. For a moment, you can stop and take a look into the past of our fathers and mothers - their everyday lives, their art and their dreams. A portrait of an entire nation, drawn with love and care, unfolds before you from time immemorial.
The museum's exhibitions are like different chapters in the book of our history. The Prehistory of Finland exhibition takes you straight to the end of the Ice Age, when the area that is now Finland began to be settled. You will see the tools that people used back then and wonder how different life was back then. In the exhibition "Finland in the Middle Ages and the beginning of the New Era", you can see castle equipment and church art. The exhibition "Finland at the beginning of the autonomous period" takes you through the building of the country's brand and the national awakening of the 19th century. "Finland as an independent state" shows the stages of our 100 years of independence and also looks to the future.
The Living Museum also houses a collection of art objects, jewellery, textiles and other works of art that are an integral part of Finnish culture. The museum thus offers a rich insight into Finnish identity and how it has been shaped over the decades. Here we are reminded of where we have come from and what we have achieved along the way. This awareness also helps us to understand where we are going.
The National Museum allows us to look at Finland and Finnishness from new perspectives - it helps us to appreciate where we have come from and encourages us to create a future we can be proud of. To sum up, the National Museum of Finland is a real time machine, a cultural enlivener and a brand booster. It is a place where we can dive into the depths of our past, explore the present and envision the future. It is a place that helps us to understand ourselves and the world better.