Vantaa City Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary with new attractions

The City Museum got its start on February 10, 1986, when the City Council ratified the regulations of the cultural committee and cultural office.   

“The activities started in a temporary shelter in the yard of Hiekkaharju vocational school, and there were no permanent exhibition spaces,” Museum Services Manager Marjo Poutanen comments on the City Museum's humble beginnings.    

The museum has had an office and temporary exhibition spaces in the old Tikkurila station building since 1990. In November, the first permanent historical exhibition will be opened in the building, after which the museum will no longer need to be completely closed while changing between exhibitions.  

“Offices for the staff will be found elsewhere so that the entire second floor can be made available for exhibition use. Temporary exhibitions about different subjects will continue to be organized on the first floor,” says Poutanen.
 
The museum will gain an entirely new location in the Ojanko district in Hakunila, where the Håkansböle Manor Museum will open in June. The city has owned the manor area since 2005, and the restoration of the main building was completed in November 2025.   

“During the spring, the building’s original furnishings will be returned, and the manor will be decorated as a museum,” says Museum Director Susanna Eskola.  

The opening ceremony of the manor museum will be held on June 10–14. The program for the opening week will be updated on the manor’s website at hakansbolenkartano.fi. You can follow the events of the City Museum's anniversary year on the museum’s website at vantaankaupunginmuseo.fi.  

This article was published on Vantaa’s website on January 7, 2026. Marjo Poutanen has moved on to another role as of January 31, 2026.