Sepänmäen käsityömuseo

About the museum

The Sepänmäen käsityömuseo is a living open-air museum in Hirvihaara, Mäntsälä, which tells of the lives of craftspeople from the 18th to the 20th century. The hill was handed over to village smiths in the 18th century, and after them other craft professionals settled there from further afield. The smith was the most respected craftsman in the village community, and the hill was also home to shoemakers, carpenters, weavers, tailors and lace makers. A folk healer lived on Sepänmäki too, who knew how to perform cupping and prepare remedies from wild plants.

By the 1920s the significance of the hill had diminished as people moved to industrially produced everyday objects. The last resident, the village smith, died in the 1950s, after which the hill fell quiet for decades before becoming a museum area.

The museum area has more than 20 buildings and 14 workshops or working spaces, as well as about 8,000 objects related to craftwork. Most of the buildings are in their original locations, and in place of cottages that were destroyed earlier, similar buildings have been moved in from elsewhere in Mäntsälä. The names of the cottages, such as Pirkkala, Sepäntupa, Jokapaikka, Hemmilä, Leppälä and Koskela, are original place names. The furnishings of the main room (tupa) and the working space attached to it tell of the life and work of the craftsman. The museum holds craft demonstrations and, in August, the popular Maalaismarkkinat (Rural Market); the Koskela coffee house serves visitors in summer.

Highlights

• More than 20 buildings and 14 workshops or working spaces
• About 8,000 objects related to craftwork
• Main rooms (tupa) of the smithy, carpenter’s, weaver’s, shoemaker’s and coppersmith’s
• Craft demonstrations and the Maalaismarkkinat (Rural Market) in August
• Koskela coffee house

Permanent exhibition

• Käsityöläisten verstaat ja asuinrakennukset – In the open-air museum you can visit the cottages and workshops of the carpenter, weaver, shoemaker, coppersmith and many other craftspeople.

Operated by

Mäntsälän kunta

Admission & discounts

Prices are the same at the Sepänmäki craft museum and the Alikartano museum. The Museokortti (Finnish Museum Card) is accepted as a means of payment.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

• Café

Koskela coffee house in summer.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit