The Museum of Cultures presenting Karelia across the border
The new theme exhibition “Karelia Across the Border” presents the people living across Finland’s eastern border and the Finns’ relationship with them in tumultuous 20th century.
In March 2008 an extensive theme exhibition “Karelia Across the Border” was opened at the Museum of Cultures. The exhibition will be on display till the end of the year and is complemented by interesting related programmes.
The Museum of Cultures examines and presents peoples and cultures of the world and acts as a repository for their cultural heritage. The exhibitions afford perspectives both on the past and present and the way people live in different parts of the world, while suggesting alternative ways of examining phenomena. In addition to the permanent “Fetched from Afar” exhibition the Museum each year puts on temporary exhibitions.
The new theme exhibition “Karelia Across the Border” presents the people living across Finland’s eastern border and the Finns’ relationship with them in tumultuous 20th century. The exhibition depicts through objects, texts, photographs and moving images the lives and cultures of Ingrians, Karelians, Vepsians, Komis and Skolt Sámis as well as those of local Russian inhabitants. Despite of their different languages the people were united by similar sources of livelihood and by the Orthodox Faith. The influence of the Orthodox Church on the people has been powerful. Monasteries functioned as centres of spiritual life and handicrafts until 1920s when all religious activity was repressed in the Soviet Union. In the course of decades also wars and shifting borders have affected the life of the people in the region.
The exhibition material is provided by the collections of the National Museum of Finland and supplemented with material from the Russian Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg.
Museum of Cultures
Tennis Palace, Eteläinen Rautatie 8
tel. (09) 40 501.
Admission fee 6 EUR (adults),
children and with Helsinki Card free
Linkit:
Museum of Cultures HelsinkiExpert Helsinki Card
Teksti: HelsinkiExpert / Pirjo Kauppinen
In the picture: the icon Mother of God, Joy to All Who Sorrow (also called known as a coin icon)
Photo: Markku Haverinen
