Winter War Museum
During the Winter War (30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940), Kuhmo, located on Finland’s eastern border, was one of the country’s key battlefields. Much of the town centre was destroyed during the war, making Kuhmo the fifth most heavily bombed municipality in Finland. In northern and eastern Kuhmo, numerous buildings were deliberately destroyed as part of the scorched earth strategy. In January 1940, many Finnish soldiers who had fought in the Battle of Suomussalmi were transferred to the Kuhmo front.
The civilian population of Kuhmo was evacuated to Ostrobothnia before the fighting intensified, which helped keep civilian casualties to a minimum.
Founded and maintained by the City of Kuhmo, the Winter War Museum opened on 1 July 1994. Through authentic artefacts, photographs, scale models and sound effects, the museum tells the story of the Winter War in Kuhmo. Visitors can learn about the daily lives of evacuated civilians as well as Finnish and Soviet soldiers during one of the coldest winters in history.
The exhibition features more than 100 historical photographs, accompanied by catalogues in Finnish, English, German, Swedish and Russian. Most of the people shown in the photographs have been identified.
Detailed scale models illustrate the Luelahti encirclement (“motti”) at Saunajärvi, the Korpilinna Civil Guard House, and the Polikarpov R-5 and Tupolev TB-3 aircraft.
The museum also includes an extensive exhibition on wartime medical services. In addition, visitors can use the museum’s reference library to search for information about relatives who served in Finland’s wars.
Contact Information
City of Kuhmo – Winter War Museum
Väinämöinen 11
FI-88900 Kuhmo, Finland
museo@kuhmo.fi
+358 8 6155 5395
Opening Hours
Monday–Friday: 9:00–15:00
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Admission
Tickets from €3
