Forssan museo

About the museum

The Forssa Museum began operating in 1924 in the premises of the Forssan yhteiskoulu. From 1929 until the war it operated in the Viksbergin meijeri (Viksberg Dairy), and after the wartime break the museum reopened in 1945 on the upper floor of the Uusi teatteritalo. Since 1980 it has operated in the former cotton warehouse of Finlayson-Forssa in the Forssa spinning mill area. The museum was previously maintained by the Lounais-Hämeen Kotiseutu- ja Museoyhdistys, and the City of Forssa has been responsible for it since the beginning of 2010. Until 2006 the museum's name was Lounais-Hämeen museo.

The basic exhibition “Kirjavan kankaan kaupunki” (The City of Colourful Fabric) tells of life in Forssa and the surrounding countryside from the 19th to the 1970s. The story begins in 1838, when the Swedish master dyer Axel Wahren became manager of the wool mill of Jokioinen manor, and continues with the spinning mill founded by him in 1847, the factory village, the market town and, in 1964, the town. The exhibition extends into the 1990s with Rakennusvalmiste.

The Kuosikeskus (Pattern Centre) is home to the museum's printed-textile collection. Its permanent exhibition presents the history of Finnish printed fabric from the 1860s onward, along with patterns by designers of the Finlayson Forssa studio, and at the interactive points visitors can, for example, build a pattern on a light table. The museum also includes the Ronttismäen tehtaalaismuseo (Ronttismäki Factory Workers' Museum), which presents the residential buildings and courtyard of factory workers.

Highlights

• The basic exhibition The City of Colourful Fabric
• Printed fabric exhibition at Kuosikeskus with interactive points
• Patterns from the Finlayson Forssa studio
• Museum in the former cotton warehouse
• Ronttismäen tehtaalaismuseo in summer

Permanent exhibitions

• Kirjavan kankaan kaupunki – The basic exhibition tells of life in Forssa and the surrounding countryside from the 19th to the 1970s, through the textile industry and the years of Rakennusvalmiste.
• Kuosikeskuksen pysyvä näyttely – The exhibition presents the history of Finnish printed fabric and the patterns of the designers of the Finlayson Forssa studio, using textile installations and interactive points.

Founded

1924

Operated by

Forssan kaupunki

Admission & discounts

A ticket valid for one site costs adults €6. Museum professionals enter free. Museokortti (Finnish Museum Card), ePassi, Edenred and Smartum are accepted at the Forssa Museum and at Kuosikeskus. The Galleria Moletti is free.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

The interactive points at Kuosikeskus, such as building a pattern on a light table and the printing machine's crank, suit both children and adults.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum shop is on the ground floor of the museum building (Wahreninkatu 12), and Kuosikeskus has its own museum shop. Local heritage literature can be ordered by post.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit