Other museum destinations in the Kokkola area

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

Printing museum of Välikangas (Välikankaan Kirjapainomuseo) displays the history of printing in the 20th century.

Location: Tullikamarinkatu 2
Open: by appointment
Enquiries: +358 40 516 2311

The Kaarlela Museum of Local History and Culture, situated in the municipal district of Kirkonmäki, represents the local peasant culture in the 19th century. The stable, smoke sauna, drying barn and outbuildings stand witness to the peasant culture of their time. The premises of the Kaarlela Museum of Local History and Culture also include a small cottage, a leather tannery, a carding works and an impressive windmill.

The museum has exhibition spaces in a stone building that belongs to the neighbouring Kaarlela vicarage. The building was commissioned in 1775 by Anders Chydenius, who was an economist, a member of the legislative assembly and the local vicar. The actual vicarage was built in 1737 by Vicar Karl Gustav Werander, and it is the only remaining Swedish baroque-style vicarage in Finland.

Location: Kirkkopolku 4
Open: during the summer
22.6. – 7.8.2022
wen-sun 11-17.
Mon-tue closed
Midsummer closed
Free entry!

The Kokkola Fire Museum preserves and presents the history of fire brigades in the Kokkola region. The museum displays an extensive collection of items in a clear and well-planned manner.

Location: Ventuksentie 84
Enquiries: info@kaarlelavpk.fi

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

The Ohtakari Fishing Village has a group of red fishing cabins and grey outbuildings that create together an idyllic and unique village. The Fishing Museum is an important part of the area and it gives you the chance to get to know local history of seal hunting and seafaring.

Location: Ohtakari, 68230 Lohtaja
Open: by appointment
Enquiries: +358 50 5454 023

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.

TThe Toivonen Animal Park and the Peasant Museum currently consists of 50 separate buildings and more than 12 500 exhibits. Museumvillage is constantly expanding and it is being developed purposefully to share detailed information on the average Central Ostrobothnia countryside village life in the first half of the last century.

Location: Eläinpuistontie 2, 68300 Kälviä

More information can be found on the web page.

The history of the estate, now known as Taide Vionoja (Art Vionoja), began in the early 1970s, when the painter and professor Veikko Vionoja transported an Ostrobothnian house named Korpela from Perho to the village of Haapala in Ullava. For many years, Korpela served as a summer home for the Vionoja family. The quiet harmony of the log buildings radiate a feeling that has been eternalised in the artistic works of Veikko Vionoja.

In the spring of 1990, a private foundation was established and named after Veikko Vionoja. Thanks to the efforts of the foundation, the courtyard of Taide Vionoja now houses an exhibition building, the exterior of which is a perfect replica of Veikko Vionoja’s childhood home. The exhibition space showcases the collection of artworks donated to the foundation by Veikko Vionoja, and some of the displayed works are changed every year.

More information can be found on Taide Vionoja´s web page.

Location: Haapalantie 121, 68380 Yli-Ullava
Open: In the summer
Enquiries: taide.vionoja@vionoja.fi / Esko Keski-Vähälä +358 (0)44 5831482

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