Kniivilän kotiseutumuseo
Local heritage museum of the municipality of Hailuoto at the old Kniivilä farm: over 3,000 objects, an open-air museum area and an exhibition on the island’s history.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Kniivilä is an old Hailuoto farm that is known from the 17th century. The same family is known to have lived on the farm for at least six generations from the 1740s onwards. The farm was divided between brothers in the 1860s, and one half was sold in 1872 to the lighthouse master Ludvig Lalin. The present residential building was erected in 1924. The last residents were the unmarried siblings Hanna, Eemeli and Heikki, who lived a frugal life farming and keeping livestock.
When Heikki died in 1978 no heirs were found for the farm, and the state transferred the house to the municipality of Hailuoto the following year as a local heritage museum. The house’s own furniture and objects make up a large part of the collections, and the house has been preserved largely as it was in the siblings’ time. The collections also include objects collected from the 1930s onwards by the elementary school teacher J. L. Suomela.
The museum has over 3,000 catalogued objects. In addition to the nine buildings of the farm, the open-air museum area includes, among other things, the shoemaker’s croft with its outbuildings, a forge, fish storehouses and a windmill. The permanent exhibition Meren sylissä (In the Sea’s Embrace), opened in 2024, tells of life on the island in close connection with nature.
Highlights
- Old Kniivilä farm, preserved almost as it was in the siblings’ time
- Over 3,000 catalogued objects
- Shoemaker’s croft, forge, fish storehouses and windmill
- Permanent exhibition Meren sylissä (In the Sea’s Embrace) on the island’s history
- Farming and fishing equipment and a centre-engine boat
Permanent exhibition
- Meren sylissä – The exhibition, opened in 2024, tells of life on the island in close connection with nature and of the land uplift. It includes tactile, sound and scent memories.
- Founded
- 1979
- Operated by
- Hailuodon kunta
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Students, pensioners and unemployed people (same price as adults) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Under-18s enter free. |
| Groups | –Groups of under 20 people €30, groups of 20–40 people €40, and groups of over 40 people €50. |
| Guided tour | €12 |
Cash payment is not possible.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- 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 exhibition Meren sylissä is step-free and can be visited by wheelchair users.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The guided tour led by the municipality’s museum guide covers the history of the Kniivilä house and family and the origins of museum activity in Hailuoto. Group tours can be booked with Hailuodon Paikallisoppaat (Hailuoto Local Guides), tel. +358 40 556 2572. |
