Upcoming Archipelago Museum in Espoo Finland

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1 24th GENERAL CONFERENCE OF ICOM - MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES 3-9 JULY MILAN ITALY Exhibition Manager, Espoo City Museum, Finland Short Bio: I have been in my present vacancy at Espoo City Museum's exhibition department since During I was [the] Deputy head of Exhibitions in Espoo City Museum. I have a Master's degree in Art History from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. As Exhibition Manager I'm responsible for managing and producing exhibitions, both our own productions and international touring exhibitions. My work consists of co-operation with researchers, exhibitions architects, lighting and sound designers, constructors and other experts in different fields.

2 Abstract Espoo City Museum and Espoo City are restoring and reconstructing two fisherman's estates on the island of Pentala in the Espoo archipelago. The Archipelago Museum is currently under construction and is planned to open for public in The idea of Archipelago Museum arose already in the 1970s. The idea started to become reality when the city of Espoo purchased a farmstead on the island in 1974 and later in the 1980s when more land was acquired from the former Nyholm fishing estate. In 1988 Espoo City Museum bought the complete personal property of the last owner and since then it has accumulated its collections with artefacts that have a connection to the achipelago in Espoo. The oldest parts of the estate are from the late 1700s. The total area of the estate is 2.5 hectares and it consists of 13 buildings. In my presentation I'm going to show how the Cultural Landscape that has been shaped during a long period of time will be restored and turned into a Museum. Photo Tommi Heinonen / Espoo City Museum Espoo City Museum and Espoo City are restoring and reconstructing two fisherman's estates on the island of Pentala in the Espoo archipelago. The history of the project dates back to the 1970s when the City Museum was looking for suitable place for the Museum. The idea started to become reality when the city of Espoo purchased a farmstead on the island in 1974 and later in the 1980s when more land was acquired from the former Nyholm fishing estate. A fishing estate where all historical buildings have survived is unique in Southern Finland. 2

3 The 130-hectare island of Pentala has a diverse and unique cultural landscape and almost half of the island is a nature reservation area. The inner parts of the island, Lake Pentalanjärvi (number 4) and the natural beach of Diksand (number 3) belong to the nature reservation area owned by the City of Espoo. The island has the highest point of all islands in Southern Finland. The nature of Pentala has a diversity of plants and a growth environment that is rarely seen in Finland. Cultivation has also left its marks on the flora. The culturally significant Yacht Club Paven (number 2) is situated next to the museum area. It was designed by Sigurd Frosterus and completed in 1913, new extension is from 1930s. There are also privately-owned summer cottages on the shores of the island. Diksand Lake Pentalanjärvi Photos Tommi Heinonen / Espoo City Museum Paven 3

4 Museum area The fisherman's estate on the museum area is located on land owned by the city. The total museum area is 2.5 hectares and consists of 13 buildings. The shore building, jetty, fisherman's cottage, Gurli's house and Villa Rosengård are already being renovated. The other buildings, cowshed, sauna, Gula stugan and Lilla Villan, will be renovated during 2016 and The new maintenance building, routes and outdoor lighting are also completed. The renovations are made by Espoo Technical and Environment Services in co-operation with the museum. Shore building and the jetty Villa Rosengård Photos Tommi Heinonen / Espoo City Museum History of Pentala island Before Pentala was permanently inhabited, by the 1750s, fishermen lived temporarily on the island during fishing seasons. Several households lived year-around on the island still in the 1930s. The Nyholm family, whose estates will be the future museum, arrived on the island in the 1850s and the last resident was a fisherman's widow Gurli Nyholm. In 1986 the City of Espoo bought the estate and the City Museum acquired all her furniture and possessions. Typical way of life in the archipelago included fishing and keeping of few cows and cultivating vegetables. The products were sold on Helsinki Market. Summer villas became fashionable among the upper class citizens of Helsinki in the late 1800s, and among others the Nyholms started offering summer houses for rent and several new buildings were constructed for rental purposes. Fishing as a source of livelihood declined in Pentala after the 1950s and ended in Nyholm fishing estate

5 Challenging conditions and sensitive environment The location in the archipelago causes challenges. Weather conditions have to be taken into consideration in all planning, storms might prevent getting into the island and during winter it's hard or impossible to make a visit. Transportation of people and materials to the island takes time and effort. At the moment there's no regular boat connection to the island and the museum has only one boat for the staff. Photos Tommi Heinonen / Espoo City Museum The location has its benefits, not only problems. A boat trip to the island gives the feeling of getting away from the city and every-day life and makes it easier to relax and enjoy the culture and nature. How the cultural landscape that has been shaped over a long period of time will be restored and turned into a Museum? This is a difficult question which we haven't yet fully resolved. Open questions are: What will be the level of authenticity of the whole museum area and each building o Inside the houses the main idea at the moment is that the authenticity, time level and the purpose will vary from building to building. This is due to the objects museum have from the estate and the message we want to mediate o In the buildings different time levels have been preserved Which time period will be our main focus and how shall we present it o The buildings are from the 1790s s. A lot of extensions and renovations have been done and the purpose of use has changed during decades. The main focus will be the active time of the last Nyholm's How should we restore the garden and fields, which are overgrown and changed in function Gurli s garden in 1990 Clearing the former field 5

6 How the sensitive environment can be preserved if the amount of visitors gets too high o With well-planned routes and signs o At the moment it s hard to predict the amount of the visitors due to unsolved questions concerning ferry services and opening hours of the museum Will we have enough funding for staff, research, maintenance and transportation o The uncertainty of funding and tightening financial situation have prolonged the project and complicated the planning Getting this far would not have been possible without several parties involved: different departments of Espoo city, local associations and clubs and enthusiastic volunteers. Examples of the renovations already done Gurli's house The main building is called Gurli's house according to its last inhabitant Gurli Nyholm ( ). The objective of this house as a part of the whole museum is to mediate the life in the fishing estate as authentically as possible. The house is an essential part of the museum, because the museum has nearly all the belongings of Gurli Nyholm and they will be brought back when the museum opens. The house will present Gurli Nyholm's last years at home. Gurli Nyholm in 1930s The house was the home of the Nyholm family. The oldest part of the building is from the early 1900s. The estate was owned by Gurli Nyholm's parents-in-law Gustav and Lydia Nyholm. After their son Arvid Nyholm ( ), Gurli's husband, inherited the house it has been extended several times. It was also rented to the summer guests. In 1987 Espoo City bought the estate. There were two renovation phases in Gurli's house. First exterior renovations were made in The project's long history, a turnover of staff and uncertainty of funding caused confusion which can be seen in this building. Renovations were carried out too fast, before the museum policy was updated. Problem was also that the construction workers were not experts on renovating historical buildings. The final restoration in was carried out successfully. The main focus was interior renovations and to supplement exterior renovations. Interior renovations were made conserving as much authentic surfaces and building materials as possible. The buildings were renovated by the Espoo Technical and Environment Services in close co-operation with the museum's cultural environment professionals. The main designer was architectural firm Schulman Oy and the main contractor Rakennusentisöiontiliike Ukri Oy. 6

7 Gurli's house and the fisherman cottage in Photo Tommi Heinonen / Espoo City Museum The fisherman cottage The fisherman cottage is the oldest building on the island, built in the 1790s. Originally it was a low chimneyless building with a special timber structure type rare in Finland. It was a family home and later used as a summer cottage. It was renovated between 2012 and 2013 and it demanded extensive renovations. Interesting details were discovered about the history of the house, for example the multiple layers of wallpaper used in the rooms. The oldest layers are dated to mid- 1800s. Once the museum opens, the cottage will serve as space for exhibitions and work demonstrations. Cottage in 1910s What will happen when the place turns from private to public? Are we able to preserve the narrative of the place, with the various time periods and its local distinctiveness? Inevitable changes, such as accessibility, fire safety and lighting that affect the landscape are planned carefully taking into account the sensitive cultural landscape. One of the main concerns still is how all these changes together with the new ones e.g. information signs and benches will look and feel. We must continue the research to identify the essential features of the place and to define objectives and methods for preserving existing layers of culture. 7

8 The fisherman cottage and the shore building in 1920s and 2015 Benefits of the new Museum to the community and the visitors The future museum will make the maritime past accessible not only for the boat owners but all visitors. Espoo is a maritime city with more than 60 kilometres of shoreline. The sea is part of the identity and history of Espoo it has been shaping the city since prehistoric times. Public interest and the recreational use of the archipelago and coast keep increasing. The presence of the museum in its historical setting has a significant role especially for the local population it is a place where you can sense the history and look back on the past. Objectives of the future museum Pentala Archipelago Museum will be: A historical museum focusing on the nature, people and the maritime past of the Espoo and Uusimaa archipelago Open-air museum which includes elements of living history such as household tasks Bind the nature of the island into a part of the Museum and preserve its diversity. Present the individuals behind the history it is possible due to Gurli Nyholm s diaries, notebooks and personal property and thus evoke an emotional response among visitors Present unique cultural landscape Make connections and co-operation with other museums around the Baltic Sea. Photos Espoo City Museum Bibliography Gurlin talon korjaustyön dokumentointi Mari Lehtinen ja Tiina Oinonen Rakennusentisöintiliike Ukri Oy. Espoon kaupunginmuseon tutkimuksia Pentalan Ranta-aitan kunnostus. Livady Oy. Espoon kaupunginmuseon tutkimuksia Pentalan ranta-aitta ja hirsiarkkulaituri. Espoon Kaupunginmuseo Saaristo-Espoo, Nimistöä, luontoa, historiaa ja tulevaisuutta. Paikkala, Sirkka (toim.). Espoon kaupunki