Military Museum

Finland has plenty of wartime history and it’s the job of the Military Museum in Helsinki to preserve the collection of over 200,000 artifacts, including equipment, medals, flags, uniforms, photographs and more. The red brick building, which was used as barracks in the 1880s, not only honors the defense forces of Finland, but is also part of the Finnish National Defence University. 
While the museum’s permanent exhibition displays military history from the 15th century to the present day, the focus lies on the 19th century. During that time, just after a bloody war between Sweden and Russia over control of the Baltic, Finland ended up as a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire. Other interesting parts of the exhibition are the occupation by Sweden, the war of independence as well as Finland’s involvement in the Second World War. Apart from the main museum in Helsinki, the Military Museum also supervises the operation of a number of smaller special arms museums throughout Finland, such as the Tank Museum, the Aviation Museum or the Infantry Museum.

Practical Info

The Military Museum in Helsinki opens Tuesday to Thursday from 11am to 5pm and Friday to Sunday from 11am to 4pm. It is closed on Mondays. The closest bus stop is Liisanpuistikko, which is located right in front of the building and is serviced by bus number 16.