Museum destinations

The Roos House was built in 1813 as a residence for merchant Andreas Roos and his family. Today, the building serves as the exhibition space for the K.H.Renlund museum. Upstairs, visitors can get a glimpse of 19th century life in Kokkola and learn about the Roos family. Another important theme in the exhibition is Karl Herman Renlund. The museum displays, for example, well-known artworks from the Golden Age of Finnish Art, donated to the museum by Renlund. Downstairs, visitors can take in the changing exhibitions and visit the museum shop. Photographer Leo Torppa’s camera collection is on display in the salt storehouse next to the Roos House.

Location: Pitkänsillankatu 39, Kokkola
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–16:00, Thu 11:00–18:00
Enquiries: Mon-fri from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tel +358447809477. On sat-sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m general questions tel +358408065165

Permanent exhibition on the top floor of the Roos House:
A GLIMPSE INTO THE 19TH CENTURY

The exhibition on display on the top floor of the Roos House provides visitors with a glimpse into the glory days of Kokkola in the 19th century. Back then, the upstairs of the most prosperous building in the city was already serving as a reception and party venue. It was also the place where the Russian emperor Alexander I was greeted when he visited Kokkola in 1819.
In contrast, the ground floor of the house was used as living quarters. It housed the trade business of Andreas Roos as well as the Roos family with all of ten children.

KARL HERMAN RENLUND

Karl Herman Renlund (1850–1908), born as a seafarer’s son in Kokkola, progressed from a hardware business errand boy to a prominent businessman and gathered a sizeable fortune during his lifetime. Moreover, he held significant social positions, such as representing the bourgeoise movement of Helsinki and later of Kokkola in the legislative assembly (Diet) of Finland. Renlund was a social and culture-loving man with a wide circle of friends, including Jean Sibelius and Pekka Halonen.
The top floor of the Roos House displays renowned artworks from the Golden Age of Finnish Art, donated to the museum by K.H.Renlund. The collection includes pieces from artists such as Beda Stjernschantz, Magnus Enckell, Pekka Halonen and Viktor Westerholm, and it also depicts the personal history of Karl Herman Renlund.

The Kokkola-born photographer Leo Torppa had a hobby collecting old cameras and other photographic equipment. Over time, his collection grew to such proportions that a part of it was transferred to the City of Kokkola in 1990, after which it was incorporated into the K.H.Renlund Museum. This unique camera collection is housed in the salt storehouse next to the Roos House. It includes various items of photographic history, ranging from cameras to equipment.

Location: Pitkänsillankatu 39, Kokkola
Open: By request
Enquiries: Mon-fri from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tel +358447809477. On sat-sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m general questions tel +358448065165

The Pedagogy was built as a schoolhouse in 1696, and it is probably the oldest secular urban wooden building in Finland. The southern end of the building was a synod hall or meeting room for clergymen and the north end was used as a classroom and the teacher’s living quarters. The building has been used by the K.H.Renlund Museum since 1909.

Location: Pitkänsillankatu 39, Kokkola
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 11–16, Thu 11–18
Enquiries: Mon-fri from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tel +358447809476. On sat-sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m general questions tel +358448065164

The Lassander House was originally built in 1748 on Kustaa Aadolfinkatu street, from where it was later moved to the Museum Quarter. The house has served as the home of, for example, the merchant families of Lassander and Ahla. Today, the Lassander House is furnished and decorated like a home of a 18th century merchant family, and it also provides an introduction to the history of trade and seafaring.

Location: Pitkänsillankatu 39, Kokkola
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 11–16, Thu 11–18
Enquiries: Mon-fri from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tel +358447809476. On sat-sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m general questions tel +358448065164

Eclectic adventures for contemporary art buffs.
Located in the middle of the beautiful Museum Quarter, the Exhibition Hall is a place for temporary exhibitions managed by the K.H.Renlund Museum.
The Exhibition Hall focuses on a diverse array of contemporary art and international marginal art — not to mention Finnish ITE art. Events related to the exhibitions are also organized here.
The Exhibition Hall building was built in 1818 as a residence for the teacher of the Pedagogy. It has also housed a library. Its rich history makes it a unique place to visit.

Location: Pitkänsillankatu 28, Kokkola
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 11–16, Thu 11–18
Enquiries: Mon-fri from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tel +358447809476. On sat-sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m general questions tel +358448065164

The Home of Fredrik and Anna Drake is located in the old town of Kokkola Neristan. In 1997, the house and its contents were donated to the City of Kokkola in the will of siblings Märta and Helmer Drake, the last members of the Drake family, to be maintained as a home museum. Four generations of the artisan family Drake lived in the house built in 1835. Its contents include items spanning from the late 18th century to the end of the 20th century, including artworks, handicrafts and a library with over 3,000 books.

Location: Läntinen Kirkkokatu 20
Open: By request
Enquiries: Mon-fri from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tel +358447809477. On sat-sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m general questions tel +358448065165

The vessel was taken into possession from the Royal Navy in 1854 by the town’s defenders during the battle of Halkokari at the Vanhansatamanlahti bay in Kokkola. The events occurred in connection with the British Naval operations in the Baltic Sea and the Crimean War of 1853–1856. The vessel belonged to the paddlewheel steam frigate, HMS Vulture, and it is a certain type of a ship´s boat, which is known as a paddle box boat. The boathouse that is used as a showroom was built with donated funds in 1896 in its current location.

Location: The English Park, Isokatu 50
Open: The boat can be viewed behind the glass

Seal Hunting Museum
Since the Stone Age, seal hunting was a significant source of livelihood in the coastal regions of Finland. The museum on Tankar Island holds an extensive collection of objects related to this occupation which was carried out in harsh wintery conditions.

Location: Island of Tankar, access by MS Jenny in the summertime
Open: In the summer

Island of Tankar
Tankar Island, originally called Tankokari, used to be a base for fishermen and seal hunters, and the base for a lighthouse and pilotage community. The barren island with its cairns was an important land and sea mark for maritime travellers. A beacon was built there in the 19th century. The lighthouse dates back to 1889. Today, there is a pilot station on the island.
Small grey fishing huts still dominate the landscape on Tankar. The natural environment of this small island is diverse, but vulnerable. The conditions for bird watching on the island are excellent. The island also has a church built in 1754. In addition, there are seasonal accommodation services available on the island.

The shoreline of the Öja Fishing Museum in Långö village in Gäddviken has been a public marina already in the olden days. The Fishing Museum is comprised of a fisherman’s cottage, boatsheds, smoke sauna, fyke/fish-trap and salt storage sheds, and a woodshed, as well as the furnishings and equipment related to each of these buildings. The cottage was moved to its current location from an estate called Krokvik on the either side of the bay, where you can now see a small fishermen’s village.

The cottage, known as Alina’s cottage, was originally built by Mats Matsson Häggblom. The cottage consists of a vestibule, one room and a small living area. The furnishings have mainly belonged to the last person who lived in the cottage, Alina Häggblom, who moved out in 1964. Alina’s cottage contains fishing-related items collected from Öja.

Location and instructions:
The Fishing Museum is located in Öja near the fishing village of Långö about 15 km from the centre of Kokkola. Drive from Kokkola along coastal road number 749 towards Pietarsaari, then turn right towards Bodö. Access to the museum can be gained by contacting the Cafe Bryggan, or by arrangement in advance from the K. H. Renlund Museum.

Open: By request only
Enquiries: K.H. Renlund Museum, +358 (0)44 780 9477

The main building of the heritage museum was originally located on the Luoma farm in Toholampi, and it was purchased in 1860 to serve as a farmhand’s cottage for the Lohtaja chaplain. In 1953, the Lohtaja parish sold the cottage to the local heritage association of Lohtaja to be used as a museum. In addition to the main building, the cottage surroundings include a soldier’s cottage, a windmill, an iron furnace, a warehouse and what is believed to be the oldest timbered barn in Central Ostrobothnia, dating back to 1698.

The Lohtaja Heritage Museum has an abundant and versatile collection of over two thousand objects, including many specialties such as a donation chest, shackles and an angel-themed wooden board from the old Lohtaja church.

Location: Lohtajan Kirkkotie 2 C, 68230 Lohtaja
Open: In the summer 2.-31.7. tue-sun 13-17.
When Lohtaja churchmusic festival 23.-27.7. at 13-18 and sun 28.7. at 12-17
Othervise around the year by agreement.
Enquiries: +358 (0)44 7809 477