Museum Visit with Kids: Tamminiemi

My Museum Buddy and I: At Tamminiemi in July

This article was first published in July 2018.

Tamminiemi in Meilahti, right next to Seurasaari, is the home of presidents and is now a house museum. It's not the first place that comes to mind when thinking about museum destinations for kids, but we decided to try it anyway. And it was worth it, because the house museum appealed to the kids too.

You can find other parts of the My Museum Buddy and I series here.

*The furniture in the first floor reception rooms shows many eras of Tamminiemi.*

Tamminiemi is known as the home of Urho and Sylvi Kekkonen, but in addition to the Kekkonens, presidents Risto Ryti and Gustaf Mannerheim also lived there. However, the Kekkonens, who were the last residents of the house, left a significant mark on the house museum, and it's easy to imagine the Kekkonen era there.
The main building of Tamminiemi was completed in 1904, and in 1940 it became the official residence of presidents through a donation.

You can visit Tamminiemi for an admission fee or with a Museum Card, but you can also admire the house itself, its courtyard and garden without paying, and stop by the café in the side building, as the place is impressive from this perspective too. On the waterfront side, you can see, for example, the bomb shelter built under the rocky shore from the Mannerheim era and a charming summer pavilion on top of a high cliff.

*The President's office on the first floor of Tamminiemi. The doors leading to the room are soundproofed.*

Tamminiemi is not very large, only about 450 square meters, and it feels quite cozy. You can view almost everywhere in the living spaces divided into two floors, but of course you can't touch anything. The tables have glass objects, period items and gifts, as well as photographs of the house's residents. The books on the bookshelves are in place and the TV chair awaits the evening news. The walls of the house also display a lot of art, but above all, here you should admire the furniture and interior design styles of different eras.

*The TV corner in the upper floor hallway.*

Tamminiemi was above all a home and workplace. It is furnished with well-known design classics and classical antique furniture. Everything is as it was, including the retro-yellow kitchen cabinets and the books on the bookshelf. The atmosphere is dignified, but at the same time quite nice: as if we were visiting Uncle Urho and Aunt Sylvi. In the museum, visitors walk in shoe covers or in socks – the latter was especially popular with the kids and added its own special touch to the museum visit.

*Next to the salon you can also find a secret bar.*

So, Tamminiemi and children? The house museum doesn't offer any actual children's activities, but in the end it appealed to the kids anyway. My museum buddy was especially enchanted by the feeling that we were just visiting. We admired crystal chandeliers, the bathtub, and wondered who lived here, what amazing devices were on the president's desk, and we marveled at Kekkonen's log sauna swimming pool, which according to the guide was also a hit with the president's grandchildren – "the only luxury thing in the whole place." And that's true, Tamminiemi is a home that has certainly seen important visitors and heard significant conversations. Padding around in socks in the footsteps of presidents is not a bad achievement at a young age!

*Tamminiemi's sauna played a significant role in Finland during the Kekkonen era.*

*The waterside sauna building also contains a swimming pool, which was especially popular with Kekkonen's grandchildren.*

The Café Adjutant in the side building is open throughout July and offers café treats and ice cream as well as meal portions. The café also houses a museum shop. The side buildings of Tamminiemi were once home to the president's aides and other staff, and the entire side building is extremely charming and magnificent! Next to the café you'll find Tamminiemi's legendary log sauna, where according to accounts the most important decisions were made and guests were entertained generously during the Kekkonen era.

The museum's café operates in a side building at Tamminiemi.

Fitting the theme, on the museum grounds, right next to the Seurasaari bridge, you can find Tamminiemi Ice Cream Shop during the summer season. The sorbet at the ice cream shop was made in Tampere and can definitely be recommended! And so can the museum itself – this home of Uncle Urho and Aunt Sylvi and the golden chair were talked about at home too! Tamminiemi may not be Helsinki's most child-friendly museum, but it's certainly not a bad idea either; the place's definite advantage is its hominess and interesting objects.

The journey continued from Tamminiemi to Seurasaari, more about that later!