Museums
Harjamäki Hospital Museum
The Hospital Museum’s summer opening has ended 9.8.25. Thank you to all summer visitors!
You can visit the Hospital Museum all year round by making an appointment (preferably at least a few days in advance).
Contact us: kulttuuri@siilinjarvi.fi
The main exhibition describes the history of Harjamäki mental hospital, which operated from 1926 to 1997. The perspective of both the patients and the medical staff is presented. It also looks at the history and development of psychiatry and psychiatric treatment in Finland.
Admission fees
Adult (from 16 years) 6 €
Child (5-15 years) 4 €
Student 4 €, with student card
Group ticket 4 €, min. 10 persons
Guide fee 25 €/person/group
Free admission to the museum with a Kaikukort!
We are not part of the Museum Card scheme.
Contact details and address
For information: kulttuuri@siilinjarvi.fi, tel. 044 740 1318
Visiting address: Isoharjantie 4, 71800 Siilinjärvi, Finland
The museum is located in the former Harjamäki hospital area, about three kilometres from the centre of the municipality towards Maaninga. From the main road 77, follow the signs.
There are plenty of free p-places in the Innocum area. Remember to use your puck!
The nearest P4 and P5 car parks are located near the museum at the beginning of Isoharjan road.
For a map of Innocum showing the different P-zones, click here.
Access to the museum is possible by lift, located at the other end of the building, near the accessible entrance. The lower (external) door of the lift is locked, so please contact the staff in advance if you need to use the lift to be accommodated! The accessible toilet is located on the 1st floor.
The Harjamäki hospital area has been preserved as a coherent whole of cultural and historical value. You can explore the area on a self-guided walking tour. At the hospital museum you can get a guide booklet with numbered sites and QR codes for more information. These will give you a glimpse into history a little deeper. You can also explore the sites on your own using the list below.
Site 1. The old main building, the so-called Thunder House
Site 2. Women’s ward, the so-called Akka House
Site 3. New main building
Site 4. The hospital of the Springless
Site 5. Farm
Site 6. Gate and staff dormitories of the Thunder House
Pöljä Local History Museum
Summer opening of the Local History Museum has ended 9.8.25. A warm thank you to all visitors!
The museum will be open again in summer -26.
The Pölkä Local History Museum presents the history of Siilinjärvi and the agro-industrial history of North Savo from the 19th century to the 1930s. The seven buildings in the museum courtyard on the shores of Lake Pöljänjärvi form a small farmer’s yard from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in North Savo. A visit to the smokehouse brings you back to a time before electricity and many comforts.
Admission fees
Adult (from 16 years) 4 €
Child (5-15 years) 3 €
Student 3 €, with student card
Group ticket 3 €, min. 10 persons
Guide fee 25 €/person/group
Free admission to the museum with a Kaikukort!
We are not part of the Museum Card scheme.
Contact details and address
For information: kulttuuri@siilinjarvi.fi p. 044 740 1318
Visiting address: Museontie 56, 71820 Pöljä
The museum courtyard is grassy and varied in its topography, not accessible. Entrances to museum buildings have high thresholds and some also have low doorways, not accessible. There is a detachable boarding ramp available, which can be used, for example, by a wheelchair user to reach the smoke room.
The idyllic room in the museum’s Kotiseututut House can be rented for various events throughout the year.
See more information and rentals
A walkway leads to the Heritage House and the toilet has been extended to improve accessibility.
Contact us, book a room and have the party of your life or other event!
+358 447401318, kulttuuri@siilinjarvi.fi
Visiting address
Museum Road 56
71820 PÖLJÄ
Museum collections
One of the tasks of municipal cultural activities is to “promote the maintenance and use of cultural heritage and activities that support and develop local identity” (Act on Municipal Cultural Activities 166/2019 §3). Siilinjärvi’s cultural department carries out the above task by maintaining the Pöljä Local Heritage Museum and the Harjamäki Hospital Museum and their collections.
Both museums have their own collections of objects and photographs, which are still quietly growing. The museums do not actively build up their collections, but donations are accepted on a case-by-case basis.
Museum rules
The activities of the Pölkä Local History Museum and the Harjamäki Hospital Museum are governed by the Museum Statute, which is a general programme approved by the Education Board.