Museum of Finnish Architecture

The Museum of Finnish Architecture is a national special museum. The museum maintains a collection of Finnish architecture and serves as a source of expert knowledge for everyone interested in architecture and the built environment. 

The Museum of Finnish Architecture has large collections of plans and drawings, photographs and scale models, in addition to a public special library. The exhibitions and events invite visitors to become immersed in current architectural phenomena.

Architecture touches us all. People live, work, love, eat and die within and surrounded by architecture. We all have some connection to, experiences of and views on architecture. Architecture and cities stir passions. The museum plays an important role as the meeting point for various creative fields. By preserving and opening its collections to the public, the Museum of Finnish Architecture supports a discourse between history and the present. 

History

The Museum of Finnish Architecture is among the oldest museums in the world to specialise in architecture. It was established in 1956 to record our 20th-century built heritage and to meet the emerging international interest in Finnish architecture. The inspiration for the inception of the museum was provided by a photographic collection, which also came to include selected drawings, established by the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) in 1949. The Eliel Saarinen collection, donated to SAFA in 1952, formed the seminal capital and the most important individual collection of the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

The Museum of Finnish Architecture has been a pioneer in its field and played a role in shaping the international image of Finland. 

The operations of the Museum of Finnish Architecture are supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture.