Kuddnäs museum

About the museum

Kuddnäs is a farm by the Nykarleby river, founded in the 17th century. Here the author Zacharias Topelius was born on 14 January 1818, and he grew up in the white house by the river together with his family. Topelius left home at the age of eleven to study but returned to Kuddnäs in the summers and at Christmas, later also with his own family.

A museum has existed on the farm since 1934. The main building was restored ahead of the 200th anniversary of Topelius’s birth, and the farm is preserved in its original condition. The basic exhibition in the white main building shows how the Topelius family lived and gives an impression of a middle-class home in 19th-century Ostrobothnia.

The museum area consists of five Topelian buildings. In the yellow house is Café Emilie, which is also the museum’s reception, as well as the festival hall Gula salen. The garden has been restored, and in the area there is Blåfinoberget, with a view of the church weathervane, and the playground Zacharias lekberg.

Highlights

• Topelius’s childhood home in its original condition
• Basic exhibition on a middle-class home in 19th-century Ostrobothnia
• Five Topelian buildings on the museum grounds
• Café Emilie and museum shop in the yellow house
• Restored garden with Blåfinoberget and Zacharias lekberg

Permanent exhibition

• Basutställningen i huvudbyggnaden – In the preserved white house the Topelius family’s home is shown. Furniture and objects tell of middle-class life in 19th-century Ostrobothnia.

Founded

1934

Operated by

Nykarleby stad

Admission & discounts

Free admission for war veterans and Lottas, and with the Museokortti (Finnish Museum Card). Groups that hire the Gula salen receive a 50% discount on the admission and guided tour fee.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• 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

Both the main building and the Gula huset (yellow house) are adapted for pushchairs and wheelchairs. A ramp leads to the yellow house, where there is an accessible toilet. The white main building is entered by an accessible lift, and the thresholds in both houses can be crossed with a wheelchair or pushchair.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly
• Playground / play area

Zacharias lekberg is a playground in the garden, and the buildings are adapted for pushchairs.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies north of Nykarleby centre between the Nykarleby river and Jakobstadsvägen.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café Emilie in the yellow house also serves as the museum’s reception and sells postcards, books, handicrafts and souvenirs. A summer café and museum shop are open during the summer; the museum has published four of Topelius’s fairy tales as miniature books.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

The festival hall Gula salen with kitchen is rented for meetings, parties and private events: €85 for up to six hours or €150 for the whole day. Cleaning costs €50 per hour (€65 on Sundays).

Plan your visit