Åland Museum
Encyclopedia
The Åland Museum & Åland Art Museum is a museum in Mariehamn
in the Åland Islands
, Finland
. It is located in the eastern part of the town, about 200 metres from the harbour. Along with Åland Maritime Museum
it is the most important museum in the islands. Both the main museum and the art museum are housed in the same building. The art museum of the museum is referred to in the Swedish language as the "Konstmuseum".
The Åland Museum traces the history of the islands from prehistoric times up until the present day while the Art Museum houses a permanent collection of local art as well as interesting temporary exhibitions. The museum plays an inspirational place for display of culture of both Finland and Sweden
.
Complete history of the development of the islands (Ålands Islands are 6000 islands which are self governing Islands off the Finnish
coast. said to be politically Finnish
but culturally Swedish
), from prehistoric times onwards till date, is exhibited; a particular display in this genre
is the boat made of seal
skin
dated to the Stone Age
. A traditional pharmacy is also recreated. Bomarsund, the ruined Russia
n fortress is also illustrated in a painting.
Local artists are provided opportunities to display their paintings in exclusive areas of the museum. Ten such exhibitions are held every year on varying themes.
The Aland Museum was awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize on April 26, 1983 at Chateau des Rohan.
Prominent canvases exhibited are those of famous local artists like Joel Peterson (1892–1937) and Karl Emanuel Janson; the paintings of the former artist relates to "elemental forces set in a tree scape" background and the latter’s painting is of a woman wearing a dress that appears dandy like a “Midsummer pole.”
An interesting watercolour painting by J. A. G. Acke (1909) on display in the Art Museum depicts the postal route followed across the Åland Sea between 1638 and 1895. The depiction is of a mail boat created by the peasants of Eckero
, Aland designed to negotiate “drift ice conditions to cross leads, new ice, and ridged ice.” With the induction of steam boats, this type of boats stopped operating.
An illustrative lithographic painting of the ruined towers of the Bomarsund Fortress is displayed at the Åland Art Museum. Bomursand fortress was built by the Russians after 1808–09 to defend against Swedish attacks. It was a project of epic proportions that involved crafstmen and soldiers from various parts of the Russian Empire. In 1854, when construction was still in progress, Crimean War
ensued at Åland in which the combined naval forces of France
and England
subjected the fortresses to severe bombardment for two days before the Russians surrendered. This bombardment, however, resulted in substantial destruction to three of the 14 defence towers constructed till then. Even the ruins of the three towers seen along the length of walls, from both sides of the road, look impressive.
Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
in the Åland Islands
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It is located in the eastern part of the town, about 200 metres from the harbour. Along with Åland Maritime Museum
Åland Maritime Museum
The Åland Maritime Museum is a museum in Mariehamn in the Åland Islands, Finland. It is located in the western part of the town on the sea on Hamangtan, about 1 km at the other end of Storangatan...
it is the most important museum in the islands. Both the main museum and the art museum are housed in the same building. The art museum of the museum is referred to in the Swedish language as the "Konstmuseum".
The Åland Museum traces the history of the islands from prehistoric times up until the present day while the Art Museum houses a permanent collection of local art as well as interesting temporary exhibitions. The museum plays an inspirational place for display of culture of both Finland and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Complete history of the development of the islands (Ålands Islands are 6000 islands which are self governing Islands off the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
coast. said to be politically Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
but culturally Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
), from prehistoric times onwards till date, is exhibited; a particular display in this genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
is the boat made of seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
dated to the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. A traditional pharmacy is also recreated. Bomarsund, the ruined Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n fortress is also illustrated in a painting.
Local artists are provided opportunities to display their paintings in exclusive areas of the museum. Ten such exhibitions are held every year on varying themes.
Åland Museum
The Åland Islands Museum has a permanent collection of artifacts providing details of the history of Åland from prehistoric times to the modern period. Many displays are related to local music, festivals, seafaring and wildlife. Between September 15 and October 17, 2010, the museum hosted a special exhibition containing artifacts found in a shipwreck. This exhibition of treasures found in summer of 2010 was of a shipwreck that occurred in the Baltic Sea in the 19th century. The treasures of the ship on display included the world's oldest champagne & beer bottles.The Aland Museum was awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize on April 26, 1983 at Chateau des Rohan.
Åland Art Museum
The Art Museum has its origins in 1955, when the Åland Art Association proposed it and set up a Landscape Board two years later. A committee for the arts was established and in 1963 they inaugurated the new Åland Art Museum, to be managed by the Åland government. Åland Art Museum contains a broad range of Åland art, from sculptures and paintings to contemporary video art and has some innovative special art exhibitions. Most of the displays are permanent although it also hosts regular temporary displays of local artists.Prominent canvases exhibited are those of famous local artists like Joel Peterson (1892–1937) and Karl Emanuel Janson; the paintings of the former artist relates to "elemental forces set in a tree scape" background and the latter’s painting is of a woman wearing a dress that appears dandy like a “Midsummer pole.”
An interesting watercolour painting by J. A. G. Acke (1909) on display in the Art Museum depicts the postal route followed across the Åland Sea between 1638 and 1895. The depiction is of a mail boat created by the peasants of Eckero
Eckerö
Eckerö is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
, Aland designed to negotiate “drift ice conditions to cross leads, new ice, and ridged ice.” With the induction of steam boats, this type of boats stopped operating.
An illustrative lithographic painting of the ruined towers of the Bomarsund Fortress is displayed at the Åland Art Museum. Bomursand fortress was built by the Russians after 1808–09 to defend against Swedish attacks. It was a project of epic proportions that involved crafstmen and soldiers from various parts of the Russian Empire. In 1854, when construction was still in progress, Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
ensued at Åland in which the combined naval forces of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
subjected the fortresses to severe bombardment for two days before the Russians surrendered. This bombardment, however, resulted in substantial destruction to three of the 14 defence towers constructed till then. Even the ruins of the three towers seen along the length of walls, from both sides of the road, look impressive.