The Regional Museum of Lapland studies and presents nature in Lapland and the cultural heritage it has moulded.
The exhibition depicts peoples’ lives in these harsh conditions by combining pictures, sounds, artefacts and movement. There are displays of archaeological finds dating back thousands of years and fascinating examples of how structural change in our time has put northern inhabitants to the test.
REGIONAL CO-OPERATION
The Regional Museum of Lapland consults the public concerning the management of building heritage, cultural environment, archaeological sites and founds and nature. In addition the museum answers inquiries about the history of the buildings within its region of operation.
Building heritage
The provincial museum researcher will, if needed, go on site to give estimation on the historical value of the building or the surrounding area. This is mainly done in order to estimate the need for building preservation or to define the principles for the repair work that will be carried out on a historically valuable building.
Archaeological consultation
All ancient monuments and sites in Finland are protected under the provisions of the Antiquities Act. At the National Board of Antiquities, the Department of Archaeology and the Department of Monuments and Sites are responsibile for maintaining and caring for the archaeological cultural heritage along with certain provincial museums in Finland.
COLLECTIONS
Objects
The Provincial Museum of Lapland preserves, studies, sorts and displays material on people and their environment in Lapland. The collections of objects contain ethnographic and cultural history material. The material in the collections covers various aspects of human life mostly from the second world war to the present times. Most of the objects are related to the past of the City of Rovaniemi, but there are also material related to sámi culture, culture of Finnish settlement in Lapland and different kind of livelihoods (etc. turism). Collections have for the most part been assembled through donations. The collections serve researchers as well as educational purposes.
There is also a natural history collection for education and research (zoology, botany, geology).
Photo Archive
Our museum has an extensive photo archives emphasising Lapland. The photo archive contains over 350,000 pictures, slides and negatives. Most of the pictures are from 1950’s or 1960’s. The biggest theme categories are streets- and landscapes from Rovaniemi area, old buildings, destroys of the World War II, hiking in the Finnish Lapland and sámi culture.
Besides its other customers, the archives serve researchers and the media. The digital copies can be ordered. There is a small charge for the use of the photo archives. See the price list for service and photo charges. Original material is not to be loaned out.
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Contact information to the museum staff is here.