Museo Eliel

About the museum

The Pohjois-Karjalan museo (North Karelia Museum) was founded in 1917 to record the folk culture of the province. The first exhibition rooms opened in the Joensuu town hall in 1920, and in 1955 the museum moved to the Karjalantalo in Ilosaari, where it operated for about four decades. In 1998 the museum opened exhibition rooms at the edge of the market square in the Carelicum, and until 2023 it operated under the name Museo Hilma.

In 2020 the Joensuu City Council decided that the museum would move back to the town hall, into the former administrative wing. The premises were renovated for museum use in 2024–2025. Since 2025 the museum has been known as Museo Eliel, which honours the designer of the town hall, architect Eliel Saarinen.

The theme exhibitions of Museo Eliel present the many voices, nature and life of North Karelia at different times. The museum also acts as the regional responsibility museum for North Karelia together with the Joensuu Art Museum.

Highlights

• Karjalan Neito (Karelian Maiden), an exhibition on the diversity of Karelian identity and folk culture
• Joki – Luontoa ja liikettä Pielisjoella (River – Nature and Movement on the Pielis River)
• Usko tai elä! (Believe or Live!), the folklorist's cellar on folk tradition and beliefs
• Tenavatori, a hands-on museum space for children of pre-school age
• The old town hall designed by architect Eliel Saarinen

Permanent exhibitions

• Karjalan Neito – Laulumailta digikunnaille – The exhibition explores the diversity of Karelian identity, phenomena of folk culture and the position of women in Karelia.
• Joki – Luontoa ja liikettä Pielisjoella – The exhibition tells of North Karelia's most significant waterway, its wildlife, and the river's influence on industry and livelihoods.
• Usko tai elä! – Folkloristin kellari – The exhibition in the cellar level presents folk tradition, beliefs and myths.

Founded

1917

Operated by

Joensuun kaupunki

Admission & discounts

The ticket for the theme exhibitions (€12) includes the cellar and the Tenavatori. The museum is a Museokortti site.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area

Tenavatori is a hands-on museum space for pre-school children, on the second floor next to the Joki exhibition; admission is included in the ticket for the theme exhibitions. The museum also holds family events.

Getting there & parking

The museum operates in the old town hall of Joensuu at Rantakatu 20.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum shop is Pilettipuoti Eliel.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit