A piece of local history!

Travel in time to the Oulunsalo Traditional Village museum

OLD-TIME LIFE IN OULUNSALO

Visitors of the Oulunsalo Traditional Village museum will learn about life in Oulunsalo in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Items used in farmhouses and tools all the way from farm work to cupping therapy are on display. On top of farming, people in Oulunsalo have always fished. Atlantic herring, whitefish and salmon have been fished from the ocean. A small web storage attached to a shed recounts this time in history.

You can also see the famous Oulunsalo Church’s weathervane and hinge in the museum. The Oulunsalo Traditional Village museum’s collection includes approximately 1200 pieces, most of which are on display at the traditional village, and some are in storage.

BUILDINGS IN THEIR ORIGINAL PLACES

The Oulunsalo Traditional Village is located by Lentokentäntie, right next to the church. The village consists of six buildings: the main building (Kukkonen estate), a shed, a storage shelter, a storage shed, a drying barn and finally the Päivikki storage shed that was transferred to the site. The majority of the buildings are in their original places, or they have been transferred short distances, out of the way of a road and closer to the farmyard for example. The Päivikki storage shed is the only building transferred from further away. It recounts the story of a local private collector.

A distinctive feature of the main building is a living room lined with pieces of plank that are called “kilpukkas”. The room built out of kilpukkas is a local specialty that is tied to the history of Oulu’s sawmills. The Kukkonen estate’s living room’s kilpukkas originate from the Varjakka sawmill in Oulunsalo.

OPENING TIMES AND EVENTS

The Oulunsalo Traditional Village is open to the public in July and there are guides present recounting the history of the buildings and the area. Additionally, the museum is open for private events such as old-time Christmas markets organized by the Oulunsalo Local History Society in November.

The old-time Christmas market is the largest event of the traditional village. Additionally, a Puistopiknik event is held in the village area every summer that fills the museum area with live music.

Entry to the museum and events is free of charge.