The Kihniö Local History Museum, owned and managed by the Kihniö local authority, was founded in 1945 in a parish granary near the church. The granary was built in 1921 and is protected by the National Board of Antiquities. The museum’s collection of more than 2,500 objects was compiled mainly by Tarmo Markkula, a local shopkeeper.

The museum’s quirky collection includes

• – calendar owned by famous Finnish murderer Matti Haapoja
• – the first altarpiece and clock of Kihniö Church
• – agricultural and household objects
• – a bed from the period of the Greater Wrath (1714–1721) with a related interesting anecdote

In the same visit, you can look around Kihniö Church, built in 1917, which has the same guide and opening hours the museum does. There is no café at the museum, but food and drinks are served on weekdays at the Puumila Artisan House, only 200 metres away. Germund Paaer’s life’s work exhibition is on display in Puumila.

Museum’s 10 Gems

Photos © Miia Hinnerichsen, Pirkanmaa Provincial Museum, 2011