Ateneum

About the museum

The story of Ateneum begins with the Suomen Taideyhdistys (Finnish Art Society), founded in 1846 to promote artistic life, especially through art education and exhibitions. In the 1880s, aesthetics professor Carl Gustaf Estlander proposed a shared building for fine art and applied art. The project was nicknamed Miljoonapalatsi (Million Palace) and aroused both interest and opposition.

The neo-Renaissance building designed by architect Theodor Höijer was completed in 1887 and opened to the public on 13 October 1888. The sculptures on the main façade present fine art and applied art as equals and link Finnish art and architecture to the Western tradition. The name Ateneum refers to Athena, goddess of wisdom, and means Temple of Athena. The building housed the collections and drawing school of the Finnish Art Society as well as the collections and school of the applied arts society. From the start, the schools admitted both women and men, and until the 1980s many notable Finnish artists and designers studied in the building.

Since 1991, Ateneum has been a museum only. The drawing school became the Kuvataideakatemia (Finnish Academy of Fine Arts), the applied arts museum became the Designmuseo (Design Museum), and the college of applied arts became part of Aalto University. Ateneum belongs to the Kansallisgalleria (Finnish National Gallery) alongside Kiasma and the Sinebrychoff Art Museum. It is responsible for the oldest and largest collection section of the National Gallery, almost 30,000 works ranging from 18th-century rococo portraits to experimental trends of the 20th century.

Highlights

• Neo-Renaissance building from 1887 designed by Theodor Höijer
• Ajan kysymys (collection exhibition)
• Finland’s largest collection of paintings and sculptures
• Finland’s most extensive print collection and a collection of Japanese woodblock prints
• Lasten Ateneum (Children’s Ateneum) and art workshops
• Ateneum Bistro and Café Höijer

Permanent exhibition

• Ajan kysymys – The collection exhibition takes visitors from the 18th century to the 1990s; the timeline Ajan virta (Flow of Time) links art, the building’s history and events in Finland and the world.

Founded

1887

Operated by

Kansallisgalleria

Director

Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff

Visitors per year

approx. 410,173

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free days in 2026: Thursday 20 August 10:00–20:00, Friday 6 November and Friday 11 December 10:00–18:00. Ateneum Late on Friday 13 November 2026, 17:00–22:00, is free for under-25s and students.

Adult ticket €21 when bought online and €23 at the ticket desk. The Museokortti (Finnish Museum Card) is accepted; a new card costs €86 per year, renewal of an existing card €79. Free admission also for holders of the CIMAM, ICOM, Helsinki-kortti, Kaiku-kortti and Kulttuurikaverit cards, for asylum seekers, media representatives and members of visual artists’ associations. Payment methods: cash, common bank and credit cards, as well as Edenred and ePassi.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

The step-free entrance is from Ateneuminkuja by lift; the step-free taxi stop is at the Mikonkatu end of the lane (in winter only the Keskuskatu side is heated). Other floors are reached by lift next to the toilets, and the Ajan kysymys exhibition has a lift between halls 2.8 and 2.9. Wheelchairs, rollators and walking sticks can be borrowed from the cloakroom (no advance booking needed). There is a step-free, gender-neutral toilet on the ground floor and a gender-neutral toilet on the second floor near the lift. An induction loop is available in the ticket hall, at the external ticket point and in the Ateneum hall. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome. The ticket hall and the cloakroom have a tactile relief map of the ground floor, and the Ajan kysymys exhibition has tactile sculptures. Audio-described presentations of six works and sign-language presentations of seven classics are available online. The website and the visitor guide are available in easy-read language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly

Guided Lasten Ateneum (Children’s Ateneum) tours take place on Saturdays at 12:00 and 13:00 and are included in the museum ticket (for ages 3–10, one adult and up to three children). Saturday workshops explore different art techniques; under-18s take part free of charge. The Lasten Ateneum guidebook contains tasks, and the Studio on the first floor is a space for drawing, reading, doing jigsaw puzzles and resting. All floors are accessible with pushchairs; folding pushchairs and carriers can be borrowed from the cloakroom, and breastfeeding is possible, for example in the Studio and in a sheltered room near the toilets on the ground floor.

Getting there & parking

The main entrance is on Kaivokatu near Rautatientori. Taxis drop passengers off at Mikonkatu 10. Coach tours can stop on Kaivokatu in front of Ateneum. Bicycle racks are in the parks on both sides of the building.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Ateneum Bistro is on the ground floor (lunch Tuesday–Friday 11:00–14:00, weekends 11:00–15:30; no museum ticket required) and Café Höijer is on the second floor (museum ticket holders only). The museum shop is in the inner courtyard and online at museoshop.fi.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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