Uudenmaan museo-opas

Located on Mannerheimintie, this charming villa is a beautiful example of Empire style architecture. Here visitors can enjoy the temporary exhibitions. The procurator and privy councillor Carl Johan Walleen built the Hakasalmi Villa in 1843 as a combination of a city and countryside residence. A few years later, two wings and a park were added to the site. The most recognised resident of the villa was Walleen’s stepdaughter, Aurora Karamzin, who was a former maid-in-waiting in St. Petersburg and known as a wealthy philanthropist. The City of Helsinki purchased the villa in 1896, and the building has already housed museum operations for over a century. At the moment the building houses changing historical exhibitions. From 10/13 100 and Counting exhibition to be opened! The walls of Villa Hakasalmi reveal stories of the lives and everyday experiences of not only individuals but also the 100-year-old Finland and its large social changes. The Helsinki residents photographed and interviewed for the exhibition are connected not only by their age and their home city but also by their high-spirited joy of life. The 100 and Counting exhibition features both old photographs and new, large portrait collages made for the exhibition. The portraits have been photographed and compiled by photographic artist Vesa Tyni, an internationally renowned photographer from Helsinki.