Efficiency and joy of life.
Samples from along the flow.
In the main exhibition “Flow”, the River Kymijoki flows to the Gulf of Finland, but the mind flows in the tales of time, money and heroism.
“A lot can happen in a single moment. It can run away. It can feel like an eternity. Happiness can feel like the blink of an eye, while sorrow can feel endless. When I was a child, time was limitless. Our lives used to be regulated by the light. People got up when the sun rose…”
The cogitating text by author Jari Järvelä leads the visitor to the main exhibition of the Museum of Kymenlaakso. The exhibition is about everyday work, scraping a livelihood by fishing on the freezing sea or by working in a factory. Industrialisation meant welfare and money, but this coin also had its flip side. The exhibition also touches on this.
Alongside everyday life, there are the joys of leisure: outings to the archipelago, Kotka Maritime Festival, or trips to the island of Suursaari, once referred to as the Tahiti of the North. The visitor may view archaeological finds excavated underground, or go even deeper and let the items recovered from the wreck of the Russian frigate St. Nikolai, which sank in the naval battle of Ruotsinsalmi, narrate the tale of the 18th century.
The exhibition also introduces mysterious clay idols, plootu copper coins, Hietanen sawmill complex, the glorious sporting history of sports club Hallan Visa, development of Highway 7, and much more. The visitor can just follow the flow or pick what seems most interesting.
And the “Flow” experience would not be complete if the visitor did not shift to the Space of Idleness at the end. There, you can ponder on the things you saw in “Flow”, or just relax. If you can.
