Museum of Old Vaasa

The Old Vaasa Museum is housed in the Wasastjerna House, which was built in 1780–81 by the shipowner, merchant, and member of parliament Abraham Falander (1746–1815), who was ennobled as Wasastjerna. It was the city’s only private stone building and survived the fire of 1852. The building has two residential floors and two vaulted storage and basement floors. In connection with the 100th anniversary of the fire in Vasa, the house was opened to the public as a museum.

The house has been furnished with pieces from the 18th and 19th centuries and reflects a middle-class home of that era, as well as featuring everyday and decorative items belonging to the people of Vasa that were saved from the fire.

The third floor showcases the Swedish period. The rooms are furnished in an 18th-century style, dominated by the so-called Gustavian style—named after Gustav III. In the room furnished as a dining room, Abraham Falander hosted a dinner on July 19, 1802, for King Gustav IV Adolf and his entourage, when the king visited Ostrobothnia.

The second floor features an exhibition on the Russian period, as well as furniture and interior design in the Empire and Biedermeier styles from that era. On the same floor, a shipowner’s office from the late 19th century has been recreated to illustrate the activities of the Board of Trade and shipowner Carl Gustaf Wolff in the city.

A café has been set up in the vaulted rooms on the first floor. During the summer, you can enjoy coffee, tea, soft drinks, and both savory and sweet pastries there.

In the 1950s, the yard was expanded to include an 18th-century barn from Solf and the Louko cottage from Ylistaro—which, according to tradition, escaped destruction during the Great Unrest.