Alternately new.

Step into a changing and inspiring world.

Temporary exhibitions of Maritime Museum of Finland

Animals on Board
2 October 2009−3 April 2010

The exhibition on the various roles of animals in seafaring is especially intended for children.

At least up until the mid-20th century, almost every ship had a pet, most commonly a cat or a dog. The pets were important to the sailors, because you could show your affection to the animals, and they provided company on the long voyages. The animals also had duties on board: cats caught rats, and dogs kept watch at port.

Animals were also brought as presents from far-away countries; monkeys and snakes were smuggled to Finland. Some animals, such as pigs, hen and sheep, were kept on board and slaughtered to provide fresh food for the sailors.

Many of the animals that travel on board nowadays are unwanted stowaways. Ships carry ballast water for example to stabilise the vessel, and some 5 thousand million tonnes of water is carried from one place to another each year. The ballast water contains thousands of individual plankton animals, which – being alien species – pose a serious threat to the environment. About half of the alien species in the Baltic Sea originate from the ballast waters of ships. The exhibition focuses on the alien species from the viewpoint of the research vessel Aranda.

In the exhibition, you can hear a parrot talk, see a giant rat and a water flea, and visit the cargo hold of a steam ship and the galley of a sailing vessel. There are also functional tasks for children. The topics of the exhibition are covered in children’s magazine Sieppo by the Nature League of Finland. The magazine in Finnish is available in the exhibition.

The exhibition is implemented together with the Finnish Museum of Natural History, to where the exhibition will move from Maritime Centre Vellamo.

The Bow of the Kayak leading the Way
11 November 2009-3 April 2010

"The first time I went paddling was in summer 1955, with the new plywood canoe I had bought. A few years later I bought a small sailing boat and for decades I concentrated on sailing. When I turned 60, I rediscovered paddling. I bought myself a present, a fibreglass kayak. By the end of last year, when I turned 70, I had bought three kayaks: two light ones for exercise and one heavier and broader kayak with a wider cockpit for winter paddling. The survival suit and the warm layer of clothing require more room to manoeuvre.

In the past eight years, I have paddled nearly 9,000 kilometres and recorded the landscapes opening in front of my kayak. The bow of the kayak cleaves the image, as if I was diving into the landscape. The state I am in at that moment can be described as meditative. I stop paddling. I sit in my kayak surrounded by the landscape and I am filled with happiness. The kayak keeps gliding on the water surface soundlessly. The only disruption is the sound of the shutter, as I capture the landscape with my camera.

Before I set out on a paddling trip, I check the wind conditions, water level, and the cloud and lighting conditions. I am on a hunt for yet another landscape. Sometimes I am unlucky and come home empty-handed, but usually nature spoils me with its bounty. The wind changes, there is a momentary lull, and the sun peeks from behind a cloud, shedding a ray of light on just the perfect spot.

I hope that these pictures inspire everyone to take a second look at nature and that I have succeeded in conveying through them the joy I have experienced."

Kyösti Romppanen

Port in Transition 1800-2010 together with the Museum of Kymenlaakso
7 May 2010-15 January 2012

Wisely on Water
2 June 2010-15 January 2011

Temporary exhibitions of Museum of Kymenlaakso

Travelling with Enginemen
26 March 2010-1 August 2010
The exhibition is produced by the Finnish Labour Museum Werstas and the Finnish Railway Museum.

Port in Transition 1800-2010 together with the Maritime Museum of Finland
7 May 2010-15 January 2012

Star of Africa
3 September 2010-2 January 2011
The exhibition is produced by the Helinä Rautavaara Museum.

Christmas Exhibition
9 December 2010-13 January 2011