Kustavin saaristolaismuseo

About the museum

Museum activity in Kustavi began in the 1930s, when the village schoolteacher Salli Vaihinen started collecting old objects from the locality. She handed over her collection to the municipality of Kustavi in 1954, and the museum premises were found in the village of Etelä-Vartsala on Vartsala island, where the main building of the Stuutila farm was restored as a museum. The opening of the Kustavi local heritage museum was celebrated in 1969, and in 2008 the museum was given the name Kustavin saaristolaismuseo (Kustavi Archipelago Museum).

The main building of the museum is a typical twin-room house of the region. It contains interiors of a 19th-century farmhouse, fishing and maritime objects, and items brought home from their voyages by sailors. On the ground floor is the memorial room of the writer Volter Kilpi, whose furniture and objects were donated by his estate in 1977.

In the annex is the exhibition Talvinuotanveto Etelä-Vartsalassa (Winter Seine Hauling in Etelä-Vartsala), about an old fishing method, and a postal road exhibition; the kutupaatti (boat) under the yard shelter also belongs to the museum. There is also a smoke sauna in the yard, and on Midsummer Eve a traditional midsummer pole (maistonki) is erected in the museum yard.

Highlights

• Interiors of a 19th-century farmhouse
• Memorial room of Volter Kilpi
• Fishing and maritime objects
• Winter Seine Hauling in Etelä-Vartsala exhibition
• Postal road exhibition and the kutupaatti (boat) in the yard shelter

Permanent exhibitions

• Maalaistalo ja Volter Kilven muistohuone – Interiors of a 19th-century farmhouse, fishing and maritime objects, and the memorial room of the writer Volter Kilpi.
• Talvinuotanvetoa Etelä-Vartsalassa – The annex exhibition on an old fishing method, hauling the winter seine, and the equipment associated with it.

Founded

1969

Operated by

Kustavin kunta

Admission & discounts

Museum Card (Museokortti) accepted. Admission categories €5 / €0 / €0. Guided tours on request.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is on Vartsala island in the village of Etelä-Vartsala, along the old Postitie (post road). From the centre of Kustavi it is a short ferry trip, and the museum can be reached by bicycle or car.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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Plan your visit