Situated half-way up the west coast of Finland in the Gulf of Bothnia, almost equidistant from Helsinki and the Arctic Circle, the historic city of Kokkola was founded in 1620 by King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, growing to become an important shipbuilding centre in Finland and a major producer of tar. By the 18th century it had one of the largest merchant fleets in the country and was, for a time, the richest town in Finland. Today it remains the provincial centre of Central Ostrobothnia.

Tourist attractions Kokkola

This rich history is reflected in the number of museums in the city. The best way to experience them is to take the Neristan Walking Tour which takes you through the districts of  Neristan and Oppistan, where craftsmen, seafarers, merchants and ship-owners used to live, enjoying the beautiful parks and interesting museums along the route. The K.H Renlund Museum contains around 40 works from the golden age of Finnish art, as well as a large collection of work by renowned artist Veikko Vionja, and the camera collection of photographer Leo Torppa.

In the Museum Quarter you’ll find the K.H.Renlund Museum, Finland’s oldest secular wooden building from 1696, where you can discover the town’s seafaring history and view miniature models of old ships and an exhibition on the Battle of Halkokari. Nearby stands Lassander House which shows how a wealthy merchant family lived in the 18th century, and an exhibition hall. In Kieppi Museum of Natural History you’ll find collections by nature preservation pioneer Veikko Salkio, which contains examples of almost every Finnish mammal and bird species, by Viljo Nissinen, containing over 1,400 specimens of different minerals, and by lepidopterologist Armas Järvelä, with around 30,000 butterflies on display, many of them rare.

Other museums include the Kaarlela Museum of Local History and Culture, comprising a stone exhibition centre, a stable, workshop and forge, a smoke sauna, a drying barn and several other buildings, where local peasant culture from the 19th century is presented. The Hunting Museum introduces the history of hunting, always an integral part of Ostrobothnian life, from prehistoric times to the present, in a small log cottage and barn. The Fire Museum contains a collection of objects from the 1800s to the present. In the village of Öja, some 15km from Kokkola, you’ll find the Fishing Museum, and close by is the Bosund Boat, Fishing and Hunting Museum. 10km to the north is the Toivonen Animal Park and Peasants Museum, providing visitors with an insight into the rustic life of a Central Ostrobothnian village at the turn of the last century, and providing children with the opportunity to see, and touch, some 20 different species of farm animals in traditional surroundings.