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The Valkeamäki Rural Museum of Virtasalmi is located next to the former
elementary school in Valkeamäki, approx. 8 km from downtown Virtasalmi. Opened
in 1998, the museum is owned and run by the Virtasalmi Valkeamäki Agricultural
and Domestic Society. In addition to the exhibition hall built in 1990, there
is also a drying barn made out of logs, a barn and a smoke sauna from 2006.
The artefacts on display are mainly from the first half of the 20th century
and they have been collected from houses and farms in and around Virtasalmi.
The exhibition talks about self-sufficiency in agriculture and forestry, which
is how the overwhelming majority of Finns still lived like at the end of the
19th century.
The bottom floor of the 2-storey exhibition has large tools and implements
such as a thresher, vehicles and forestry tools. Upstairs has artefacts
related to men’s and women’s handicrafts and the household. The drying barn
has a display of items related to processing grain and the barn has tools to
prepare the soil.
The Agricultural and Domestic Society organizes work demonstrations at the
museum. In addition, it is possible to hold various events at the school,
which is also owned by the Agricultural and Domestic Society.
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