Vanhan Vaasan museo
Museum in the Wasastjerna house that tells the history of Vaasa before the fire of 1852 and presents middle-class homes of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Old Vaasa Museum is located in the Wasastjerna house in the Old Vaasa district. The shipowner, merchant and member of the Diet Abraham Falander, ennobled as Wasastjerna, had the house built in 1780–81. It was the only private stone house in the town to survive the fire of 1852. The building has two residential floors and two vaulted storage and cellar floors.
After Wasastjerna's death the house was rented out as a dwelling, and in the 1840s it housed, among others, the Vaasa Gymnasium and a savings bank. In the early 20th century the house contained the Vaasan Vanha Apteekki (Old Pharmacy of Vaasa). The house was opened to the public as a museum in 1952, in connection with the centenary commemorations of the Vaasa fire.
In the 1950s the courtyard was supplemented by moving to it an 18th-century granary from Sulva from New Vaasa and the Loukko cottage from Ylistaro. The museum rooms have been furnished in the style of an 18th- and 19th-century middle-class home, with period furniture and objects that survived the fire. A scale model of the town and the shipowner's office tell about the town's past.
Highlights
- Wasastjerna house, built in 1780–81, a stone house that survived the 1852 fire
- Middle-class rooms from the Swedish and Russian rule
- Scale model of the town and a 19th-century shipowner's office
- Museum café Falanderin kellari (Falander's Cellar) in a vaulted room
- Free admission
Permanent exhibition
- Vanhan Vaasan museon perusnäyttely – The rooms of the Wasastjerna house are furnished in the style of an 18th- and 19th-century middle-class home. On the second floor the Russian period is presented with Empire and Biedermeier furnishings and the shipowner's office, and on the third floor the Swedish period.
- Founded
- 1952
- Operated by
- Vaasan kaupunki (Vaasan museot)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission to the Old Vaasa Museum is always free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- 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 has no step-free entrance, and there is no ramp at the entrance. Because the rooms are narrow, aids that take up space cannot be used inside the museum. A car can be driven up to the main entrance.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The museum can be reached by private vehicle or by a Vaasa local bus.
By car
Parking available
Customer parking spaces are in the museum courtyard.
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
The museum café Falanderin kellari is on the first floor in a vaulted room and is open during museum opening hours; coffee, tea and refreshments are served. Cards, history-related museum shop products and books are sold at the ticket sales point.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours are booked through the information desk of the Pohjanmaan museo (Ostrobothnian Museum) at +358 6 325 3800. |
