Helinä Rautavaara Museum

Helinä Rautavaara (1928–1998) was a unique explorer, journalist and collector. She travelled the world tirelessly to see and experience, to understand, and to be part of the life of the communities she visited. The travel reports that Rautavaara wrote, under the pen-name Peukaloliisa (Thumbelina), for Seura magazine and her numerous photographic exhibitions brought a breath of fresh air to post-war Finland.

Helinä Rautavaara’s collection and stories come to life at the Museum, which houses Finland’s largest collection of West African objects, tens of thousands of photographs, hundreds of hours of recordings and dozens of hours of cine film.

At the Museum the Rautavaara heritage is honoured by bringing together different people and working in a variety of ways to increase understanding and dialogue between cultures.