Sodankylän kotiseutumuseo

About the museum

The Sodankylän kotiseutumuseo (Sodankylä Local Heritage Museum) is located at the confluence of the Kitinen and Jeesiöjoki rivers, about two kilometres from the centre of Sodankylä. The museum presents the peasant life of Sodankylä and Sompio in the early 20th century. The collections began with the collecting of objects and recording of traditions started by Sodankylä-Seura in 1949.

The main building of the yard is the Kuukkeli house, built in 1906, which was moved by volunteer work in the 1960s to the museum area from the village of Rieston, which was largely submerged under the Lokka reservoir. Around it has been assembled a period farmyard, including a storehouse, a smoke sauna and a pirrakota, a cowshed, the Penjus and Erkkilä storehouses (aitat), a tolla, a threshing barn and a barn. Other buildings moved to the area include a smithy, a Lapp house (lapintalo), a vasotuskota, a summer cowshed and a reindeer-fence churn (poroaidan kirnu). In total there are 13 buildings.

The buildings contain a wealth of old Lapland objects. Visitors can explore the museum on their own or ask the staff for a presentation of the buildings and objects.

Highlights

• Kuukkeli house from 1906, moved from the village of Rieston
• 13 buildings by the riverside
• Smoke sauna, pirrakota, smithy and Lapp house
• Old Lapland objects
• Free admission

Permanent exhibition

• Sodankylän kotiseutumuseon pihapiiri – The museum area has 13 buildings that present Sompio’s building traditions, livelihoods and way of life, along with old Lapland objects.

Operated by

Sodankylän kunta

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

The museum yard can be reached by wheelchair and pushchair. The central courtyard is fairly level grassy ground, but some buildings are at the end of narrow, root-strewn paths. A ramp leads to the main building, the storehouse, the cowshed and the toilet, but no building is completely threshold-free; the thresholds of the pirtti and the cowshed are high. There is room to turn a small wheelchair in the toilet, but it has no grab rails. The lighting in the buildings is dim.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is about a 2 km walk from the centre of Sodankylä.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

A small shop selling ice cream and local handicrafts.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit