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The Rantasalmi Museum is located in downtown Rantasalmi along the road between
Savonlinna and Varkaus. The buildings in the museum grounds — the main
building, the drying barn, two storehouses and windmill plus the fisherman’s
seine hut and sauna — were moved to their current location at the beginning of
the 1960s. The museum was opened to the public in 1963. Currently, it is owned
and run by the municipality of Rantasalmi.
The main building of the museum is the main building of the Konttila Farm that
was donated by Maila and Pentti Taskinen at the beginning of the 1960s. It is
said that the oldest parts of the building are more than 200 years old.
Originally, the house was a chimneyless hut, a stove was added at the
beginning of the 1900s.
The permanent exhibition in the main building is from 1994. The building has a
typical farmhouse kitchen and bedroom. In addition, the exhibition talks about
cottage industry in Rantasalmi, the work cobblers do and the local speciality,
a Rantasalmi pipe for smoking tobacco. Next to the entrance is the
photographer’s corner, which has the equipment of photographer Emil Tolvanen
(1898–1950), who was from Rantasalmi, on display.
The row of storehouses contains artefacts related to processing grain, flower
and flax. The second storehouse has been decorated as it would look like if it
were an outbuilding where young people slept.
In addition, the area has a monument to writer and poet Alpo Noponen, who is
renowned for his Finnish Christmas carols. The services of downtown Rantasalmi
are near the museum.
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