Raahe Museum (or the Museum of Raahe) is the oldest

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

and culture in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. The museum is located in the town of

Raahe Raahe (; ; ) is a town in Finland, located on the western coast of the country. Raahe is situated in the North Ostrobothnia region, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Raahe is approximately , while the sub-region has a population of a ...

, in

Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...

province.

History

The Museum of Raahe was founded in 1862 by Carl Robert Ehrström. From the beginning of the 20th century, the museum has been located in the old

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

house, which was built in 1848 and originally served as a place for hiring seamen during the

Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period in European history that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid-15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the int ...

. The building has been preserved almost in its original condition.

Collections

The collection found in Raahe Museum reflects the history of Raahe as a town of ship builders and seafarers. The main collection of the museum consists of donations made in the 19th century. These encompass unusual natural items and other objects from foreign countries, including exotic souvenirs brought to Raahe by

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

s. The collection has been expanded to include items of

cultural history Cultural history records and interprets past events involving human beings through the social, cultural, and political milieu of or relating to the arts and manners that a group favors. Jacob Burckhardt (1818–1897) helped found cultural history ...

, with many relating to Raahe's history. Many of these items, such as the miniature sailing boats and paintings thereof, reflect the maritime history of the town. The collection also includes weapons, coins, textiles and toys from different eras.

Rarities

There are several rarities among the artifacts such as the wooden sculptures which were made for the first church of Raahe in the 17th century. These colourful and unique sculptures were made by a French sculptor, Mikael Balt, who was invited to work in Raahe by the

burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch . In so ...

, Henrik Corte, in 1655. They date from

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and mostly represent the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style. Balt's sculptures in the Raahe Museum include angels, saints and many other figures and symbols from the Bible.

The Old Gentleman

:''InterWiki: fi'' The most famous treasure of the museum is "The Old Gentleman", the oldest surviving

diving suit A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit may also incorporate a breathing gas supply (such as for a standard diving dress or atmospheric diving suit), but in most cases th ...

in the world. It is located in one of the buildings of the Raahe museum, the former crown granary. It was made of calf

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

and dates from the 18th century. Its exact origin is unknown but the foot parts suggest a Finnish origin. The suit, which was used in short underwater work like checking the conditions of the bottom of a ship, was donated to Raahe Museum by Captain Johan Leufstadius (1829–1906), who was a master mariner, merchant and ship owner. The conservator of Raahe Museum, Jouko Turunen, tailored a perfect copy of the old suit in 1988, suitability called ''The Young Gentleman''. The copy has been successfully tested underwater several times.

Other museums operated by Raahe Museum

The Raahe Museum also operates The Shipowner's Home Interior Museum and The Old Pharmacy Museum, which are both situated in the centre of the town near the Museum of Raahe. Ojala Homestead Museum, Olkijoki Armistice Cottage and Saloinen Museum in the wider Raahe area are also operated by Raahe Museum.

External links

References

{{Authority control History museums in Finland Raahe Museums in North Ostrobothnia 1862 establishments in Finland Museums established in 1862