Interesting museums in the Kanta-Häme region

Ski holidays are now on-going all over Finland. At the turn of February-March, families hop on cars or trains and head to the provinces for a variety of activities to break away from everyday life. However, not everyone is interested in skiing, downhill skiing or other winter sports. However, you want to do more at the resort than lying on the couch and watching the TV. A great alternative for sporting holiday activities is to visit the local museums and exhibitions. In this blog, we present in more detail the museums in the Kanta-Häme region, where it is worth visiting on a holiday trip in Häme.

Museums in the Riihimäki region

It is easy to get to Riihimäki and its museums even by public transport: you can easily get here from Helsinki, Lahti and Tampere by train. Next to Riihimäki Travel Center and the train station, you can already find the Art Museum and the City Museum, a short walk away. There are many historically significant museum sites in the area, including e.g. Finnish Glass Museum. There are many different places to visit and places of interest for all ages. Here are a summary of the most famous museum sites in the Riihimäki area:

Kiinnostavia museoita Kanta-Hämeessä_Suomen Lasimuseo_Riihimäki   Kiinnostavia museoita Kanta-Hämeessä_Riihimäki   Kiinnostavia museoita Kanta-Hämeessä_Loppi

There are also museum sites in the areas of Loppi and Hausjärvi, which can easily be missed if you only travel by train to Riihimäki. In the area you will find the Homeland Museums, which are full of history. Artefacts from the early 19th and 20th centuries. Objects dating back to the 17th century can also be found in the sites. It should be mentioned that the Hausjärvi Homeland Museum is the oldest in Kanta-Häme and its exhibition was renovated in 2021. There are museum sites in the area:

  • Local History Museum Lukkarin Puustelli (Loppi)
  • Old Church Hill (Loppi)
  • Local History Museum (Hausjärvi)
  • Mommila village shop (Hausjärvi)

Museums in the Forssa region

If your ski holiday is in the Forssa region, you should stop at the museum sites in Tammela, Forssa, Jokioinen or Ypäjä on the way. Forssa is known for e.g. of the textile industry, with which the city began to grow in the 19th century. In Forssa you will find museums that mirror the industry, the Forssa Museum and the Ronttismäki Factory Museum. The city also has its own Nature Museum, where you can get to know the nature of southwestern Häme and the nature conservation work done over the years. Forssa has also received the status of a national city park.

There is a lot to see in the vicinity of Forssa, in the areas of Tammela, Jokioinen and Ypäjä. For example, the Kortenniemi traditional farm in Tammela and the Mustiala Agricultural Museum are interesting places for those interested in agriculture and its history. Ypäjä could not be seriously called Finland’s “horse keeper” without its own equestrian museum. On the other hand, the Jokioinen and Humppila Museum Railway helps to understand how important the railways have been and still are an important part of Finnish history and economy. You can even try a resin trip on site. Here are some other museum sites:

  • Kauppila’s traditional farm (Humppila)
  • Winter Workers’ Cottage (Humppila)
  • Priest Museum (Jokioinen)
  • Stair tanner (Tammela)
  • Vekkilä Museum Space (Tammela)
  • Homeland Museum (Ypäjä)

Museums in the Hämeenlinna region

Everyone who knows Hämeenlinna can mention and recognize the city’s most spectacular museum site, Häme Castle. In addition to the museums in the castle area (including the Militaria and the Prison Museum), there are other interesting museum sites in the city. These include, for example, the birthplace of Sibelius and the Palander House, where, in addition to exhibitions, unique murder mystery experiences have been held in the past. The area around Hämeenlinna is full of various museums, including Iittala Design Museum, the Härkätie Museum maintained by the Renko Society and the Laurinmäki Croft Museum in Janakkala. Definitely one of the most interesting sites is the Parola Armour Museum.

Kiinnostavia museoita Kanta-Hämeessä_Hämeen linna   Kiinnostavia museoita Kanta-Hämeessä_Sibeliuksen syntymäkoti-Hämeenlinna_2   Kiinnostavia museoita Kanta-Hämeessä_panssarimuseo-hattula

Our editorials visited the Parola Armour Museum at the beginning of the ski holiday season. In the museum, both those living in Finland and those visiting here can get acquainted with the military history of our country and especially with the armored vehicles. Tanks and cannons procured in the Soviet Union and Germany, among others, are well displayed in museum halls and outdoor areas. Some of the equipment can be explored further – visitors can e.g. get on top of “Leopard” or go and test what it looks like inside “Ällitälli”. The museum visit is crowned by an on-site cannon simulation where you can test your skills in aiming with a cannon. During the high season, as now on a ski holiday, the museum café is also open and serves delicacies to all visitors.

A sunny ski holiday for everyone!