North Star, Southern Cross

The sea is a medium for people, goods and ideas. At the Maritime Museum of Finland you can travel on the sea through time and place, on ships, at ports, in distant countries and on familiar shores. The fixed points of the voyage are the North Star of our northern sky and the Southern Cross of the southern hemisphere, which guide travellers both on the home waters and far-away oceans.

As an example, the extensive exhibition presents items recovered from underwater wrecks like the St. Michel which sank in 1747. They tell a fascinating tale of life at sea in the past − and of life in general. The magnificent 7.5-metre scale model, in turn, brings to life the passenger ship s/s Arcturus with its dramatic phases.

Finnjet − the fastest hotel on the Baltic Sea, the greyhound of the sea − is displayed in many ways. The large work of art “Suomalaisia kuvia” (Finnish images) by Kimmo Kaivanto, which used to be in the main staircase of the ship, can now be found on the wall of the boat hall. The exhibition also shows the floating model of the Finnjet and what a B-cabin might have looked like before the cleaner got to work.

Winter navigation and ice are also covered in the main exhibition. The large wall of ice reminds the visitors of the wintry conditions of Finland and of the huge change that icebreakers brought to Finnish seafaring.