Kauppilanmäki Open Air Museum
Just a stone’s throw from the center of Valkeakoski lies the Kauppilanmäki Open-Air Museum. In this naturally beautiful area, visitors can explore the lives and homes of factory workers from the late 19th to early 20th century. The site includes five residential buildings, as well as a workers’ hall, granary, shed, and smoke sauna. Each building is named after its most recent residents and represents a typical example of its era.
The museum is open during the summer season, and entry into the buildings is available with a guide. Guided tours are included in the admission fee. The museum grounds are a public park, so you’re welcome to spend time and enjoy a summer day there even outside of opening hours. The atmospheric museum area is also well worth a visit in winter—when snow blankets the buildings and candlelight flickers in their windows, the scene becomes magical.
In summer, the museum hosts various events, including theater evenings. Sometimes sheep even reside there as seasonal “guests.” For the latest updates, it’s best to check the museum’s own website.
Welcome to Kauppilanmäki!
Kauppilanmäen museo
Rinnekatu 5
37600 Valkeakoski
Highlights
History
The idea of establishing an open-air museum began to take shape within the Valkeakoski Society in the late 1940s, during a time when Valkeakoski’s town center was undergoing extensive redevelopment. Almost the entire residential area of the center was slated for demolition. From among the condemned buildings, efforts were made to save those that could serve as typical examples of the living conditions of paper mill workers from the early 1870s—when the paper mill was established—up to the 1920s.
Construction of the museum began in the summer of 1957. The buildings were moved to Kauppilanmäki through volunteer work. Kauppilanmäki is one of Valkeakoski’s oldest residential areas. The museum’s grounds, including fences and plantings, were also designed to reflect the era and the local character. For example, stone fences—common in Valkeakoski due to the rocky soil—were included as part of the landscape.
The museum was opened to the public in the summer of 1960 during the nationwide Local Heritage Days.
The residential houses are named after their last inhabitants, but the interiors have been redesigned to represent a more general picture of the era. The artifacts were collected or donated by local residents. Two of the buildings remain in their original location, and people lived in them up until the 1970s. One of these, the Anni Nieminen House, retains its original interior as well. The workers’ hall was relocated to Kauppilanmäki from Hauho in 1969, as Valkeakoski’s own workers’ hall was demolished before the museum project began.
Over the decades, the museum site has seen many events and changes. Today, it serves not only as a lush and atmospheric park area, but also as a reminder of times past.
Links
Get to know the site more and explore onward:
