Pienten Helsinki
My Museum Friend and I: An exhibition tip to the world of familiar characters from Mauri Kunnas's Koiramäki and a wonderful manor setting in Vantaa, at Håkansbölen Manor. The Manor of Koiramäki exhibition is open on summer weekends only, on Saturdays and Sundays from 7.5.–11.9.2022.
On the Vantaa side from Hakunila, near Vantaa's Ikea, you'll find a wonderful old Håkansbölen Manor area in the middle of fields. We've passed this place hundreds of times without knowing what a beautiful manor setting exists here. And that in the summer of 2022 you can find a delightful exhibition for children in an old stable and bakehouse. The Manor of Koiramäki exhibition has free admission and is run by the City Museum of Vantaa.
At the Manor of Koiramäki exhibition, children (and adults) get to learn about 19th-century rural life through play with Mauri Kunnas's Koiramäki friends. In the exhibition you can weave a mat, fish, make pine cone cows, play yard games, bake with magic sand, bake (pretend) bread in a traditional oven, and much more. The exhibition is divided into two different farm buildings, both of which have been recently restored with respect for the past and tell their own interesting stories of bygone times and showcase period items. The Manor of Koiramäki exhibition was originally designed for Seinäjoki Museum and toured through Lohja Museum (summer 2021) to Vantaa for children's enjoyment. The exhibition isn't huge, but it's easy to spend nearly two hours here.
The execution of the summer exhibition is excellent and perfectly child-sized. It's easy to appreciate museum sites that have been created from a child's perspective and with children especially in mind, where you can get to know them through play and by trying things yourself. Adults also get a lot out of this overall experience and get excited about playing and, for example, weaving a mat and trying wooden leg walking in the stable yard. And since you're out and about with children, it's worth mentioning that the building next to the parking lot has recently renovated and excellent toilet facilities that are open when the manor exhibitions are open.
In addition to the exhibition, it's worth exploring the wonderful manor grounds and even packing a picnic, as there are several nice picnic spots. There's also a new café coming to the area, which according to current information opens in mid-July 2022. To my surprise, Vantaa's newest cultural center is also located in the Håkansbölen area. Called the Washhouse, a children's own cultural center can be found behind the manor's main building, on the edge of the Kormuniitynoja stream. The Washhouse is closed in July and offers activities for children again in August 2022.
For fans of big machines, large tractors could be marveled at near the parking lot during the visit, and horses grazing in the nearby meadow.
The manor park and its old noble trees and surrounding areas are also one of Vantaa's best bat areas, and inspired by this, it's possible to play the Assi mobile adventure game at Håkansbölen Manor!
The area is owned by the City of Vantaa and most of the manor area's farm buildings have been recently restored beautifully and with respect for the past. The Art Nouveau style main building completed in 1908 by architect Armas Lindgren will undergo renovation after summer 2022, but is a wonderful sight in its current state in the center of the area. You can explore the manor's main building on guided tours led by Håkansbölen Manor Friends Association (paid). Håkansbölen Manor area is a nationally significant cultural-historical environment and a wonderful one at that!
Håkansbölen Manor
Kartanontie 1, Vantaa
The Manor of Koiramäki exhibition in the manor stable and bakehouse from 7.5.-11.9.2022
More information from Vantaa city pages.
Note opening hours!
ONLY on summer weekends, on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am-4 pm
Free admission to the Manor of Koiramäki exhibition, admission fee for manor tours.
Times for manor tours can be found here.
Follow Little Helsinki!
Little Helsinki on Facebook
Little Helsinki on Instagram
Little Helsinki on TikTok
