Juhani Ahon museo
The Juhani Aho Museum is housed in the writer’s childhood home, the 19th-century Brofeldt parsonage in Mansikkaniemi, Iisalmi.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Juhani Aho Museum operates in the Brofeldt parsonage, built in the 19th century, in Mansikkaniemi in Iisalmi, where the writer Juhani Aho spent his childhood. His father, Theodor Brofeldt, served as parish priest of Iisalmi for 55 years. The museum opened in 1958 and is owned by the City of Iisalmi.
The museum covers three themes: Juhani Aho as a writer, parsonage culture, and the Battle of Koljonvirta during the Finnish War. The main exhibition of the parsonage tells of Aho’s family and of life in the parsonage. In Mäntylä’s cottage there is an exhibition on the Battle of Koljonvirta of 1808–1809; in the old smoke sauna there is a sauna exhibition, and in the cowshed an exhibition on Aho’s fly fishing.
The area has a History Trail (Historiapolku) of about one kilometre, with a continuation route of 0.5 km. A mobile guide in Finnish and English is available for the trail, and at its end there is a picnic place with a campfire.
Highlights
- Juhani Aho’s childhood home, the Brofeldt parsonage
- Main exhibition on the Aho family and parsonage culture
- Exhibition on the Battle of Koljonvirta in Mäntylä’s cottage
- Smoke sauna and fishing exhibitions
- History Trail with a mobile guide
Permanent exhibitions
- Päänäyttely – The main exhibition of the parsonage tells of the Aho family and parsonage culture.
- Koljonvirran näyttely – Mäntylä’s cottage presents the Battle of Koljonvirta, 1808–1809.
- Savusauna- ja kalastusnäyttelyt – The old smoke sauna houses a sauna exhibition, and the cowshed an exhibition on Aho’s fly fishing.
- Founded
- 1958
- Operated by
- Iisalmen kaupunki
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2Students, unemployed people, pensioners and under-18s |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 6 · Under-7s enter free; under-18s pay €2. |
| Groups (15+ people) | €2 per personGroup ticket for groups of at least 15 people; reduced group rate €1.50 per person. |
| Special guided tour with the museum amanuensis (museum assistant) | €20Price per guided session; admission charged in addition. |
Payment methods: card, cash, Smartum, press card and several regional culture and benefit cards, including the Museokortti (Finnish Museum Card). Groups can be sent an invoice.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The accessible parking space is next to the museum. A ramp can be installed for the main exhibition, but because of narrow doors only part of the exhibition is wheelchair accessible. The other exhibitions are not wheelchair accessible. The History Trail is hilly and uneven and not fully accessible.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
Under-7s enter the museum free of charge. At the end of the History Trail there is a picnic place with a campfire.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Vanha Kainuuntie · 500 m
From Iisalmi bus station take local bus 2, stop Vanha Kainuuntie; from there it is about 500 m along a gravel road to the museum.
By car
Parking available · 100 m to the entrance
Own parking area along Ouluntie, about 100 m from the museum.
- Accessible parking
The museum is about 5 km from the town centre, along the cycle paths.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
Mäntylä’s cottage can be rented for small events.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography without flash is allowed in the main exhibition. Photography is not permitted in the changing exhibitions. |
| Good to know | Summer guides give a basic tour of the main exhibition and the Koljonvirta exhibition for the price of the admission ticket, when time allows; the tour is in Finnish and English. Independent visitors can borrow guidebooks in Finnish, English, Swedish, Russian and German. Groups of more than 15 people must book guided tours in advance, preferably by e-mail. In school groups a teacher must be present throughout the visit. Outside opening hours the contact person is the museum amanuensis, tel. 040 643 1472. |
