The Museum Treasures project highlights the hidden gems of local museums

25.3.2025 | What Do You Want from a Museum? What aspects of the past are important to share, and how should the local culture of the present be preserved in a museum? What do you think is the role and purpose of a museum?

These are some of the questions explored in the newly launched Museum Treasures project by the Kymenlaakso Museum. The project aims to engage local communities in discussions with the Kymenlaakso Museum and local museum operators about what kind of content should be presented in local museums. The goal is to make these museums feel relevant and meaningful to both residents and visitors.

The Museum Treasures project seeks to uncover objects and stories from the collections of Kymenlaakso’s diverse local museums—items that resonate with local residents. By highlighting objects, stories, and places that people find meaningful, the project also strengthens the connection between individuals and their home region. During the project, the Kymenlaakso Museum will organize workshops at local museums and assist in identifying each museum’s most cherished treasures.

A new operational model will be tested in a selection of Kymenlaakso’s local museums as part of the project. The long-term goal is to expand the initiative to the region’s other local museums—of which there are more than thirty in total.

Although the Kymenlaakso Museum is based at the Maritime Centre Vellamo, its area of responsibility covers the entire region. As a regional museum, one of its key roles is to support and develop local museum activities in collaboration with local museum operators.

The Museum Treasures project has received funding from the Finnish Heritage Agency’s grant for innovative projects and will run until November 2025.

“This is an exciting opportunity to travel around Kymenlaakso and hear what people in different parts of the region consider important. The area has undergone significant changes, such as factory closures and the quieting of the eastern border. Now is a great time to reflect on the region’s unique local characteristics and, through them, consider what the future might hold,” says project coordinator Saara Pouru.