Ruiskumestarin talo

About the museum

The Ruiskumestarin talo was built on Kristianinkatu in 1816, when Helsinki had just become the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland. The house was built by Jevgraf Durnovo, a naval officer serving at the Viapori fortress, but his mother-in-law was entered as the owner. The small gentry house was an exception in the area, where otherwise modest cottages of craftsmen and workers were built.

In 1859 the house was bought by Alexander Wickholm, a minor city official who at the time served as ruiskumestari (fire-engine master) and was responsible for the city’s fire-fighting equipment. The museum is named after him. The Wickholm family lived in the house until 1896, and the plot passed to their daughter, who had a stone house built at the back of the yard as rental flats.

Later the house passed to Martta Bröyer, who worked as a dance artist. She renovated the houses in 1955, moved into her childhood home and began to show it to visitors as a museum. In 1974 she sold the house to the City of Helsinki. The Helsinki City Museum researched and restored the buildings and opened them as a museum named Ruiskumestarin talo in 1980. The house has since been renovated again, most recently in 2016–17.

The museum’s furnishings are based on probate inventories (perukirjat). The original movable property was sold at auction, so typical objects of the period and social group have been chosen for the rooms from the City Museum’s collections.

Highlights

• Oldest wooden building in the city centre still on its original site
• Home of a minor official from the 1860s and 1870s
• Salin trumpet sofa and St Petersburg writing cabinet
• Kitchen with ring rye breads hanging from the ceiling
• 360-degree online tour of the house

Permanent exhibition

• Ruiskumestarin koti – Furnished as the home of the family of minor official Alexander Wickholm, the house depicts the everyday life and housing of a city family in the 1860s and 1870s.

Founded

1980

Operated by

Helsingin kaupunginmuseo

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is always free. School and day-care study visits, and study visits by groups learning Finnish, are free of charge.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair users cannot reach the museum; the house has no lift and no accessible toilet. There is no accessible parking. Pets are not admitted to the museum, but service dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the heart of Kruununhaka, on Kristianinkatu.

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