Description of the attraction
The Pitkyaranta Museum of Local Lore was founded in 1969 largely thanks to the activities of the front-line soldier and school teacher Vasily Fedorovich Sebin. Since 1965, the founder of the museum, as part of the Red Pathfinders, has been collecting historical documentation and materials on military topics. The Museum of Military Glory - this is the status that the museum received when it was opened, and its first head was Vasily Fedorovich Sebin. In 1991, the museum was officially assigned the status of a local history museum.
The museum is located in the city of Pitkäranta, in an old building, which is more than 90 years old. The building, formerly owned by the pharmacist Walden, is today an architectural monument. During the construction, the style of Finnish fundamentalism was used. The building itself forms a kind of ring thanks to two staircases, over which a large balcony with a beautiful, carved balustrade is erected. During the Great Patriotic War, the building housed the Finnish headquarters, which led to the almost complete destruction of the building by the end of the war.
The main expositions of the modern Pitkyaranta Museum consist of the following sections:
- "Winter War". During the excursion, you can see panoramas of the military operations of 1939-1940, photographs of participants, as well as weapons and other front-line items;
- "The Great Patriotic War". This exposition is dedicated to the liberation of the city of Pitkäranta from the invaders. It also contains: information about the first leader and founder of the museum, military documents, schemes and maps of military operations, personal belongings of participants in the war;
- "Heroes of Our Day". The exhibition is dedicated to the fallen heroes of the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya;
- "The natural world of the Ladoga region". The excursion tells about the flora and fauna of the area;
- “The history of the plant - the history of the city”. A tour of the history of construction and development of the Pitkyaranta mines and mining plants is dedicated;
- "An ordinary miracle of the long coast." The exhibition presents the works of folk craftsmen: embroidery, woodcarving, burl and birch bark products.
And also such exhibitions as: "House in the Village", "Kalevala Runes through the Eyes of Children", "Dolls - Beregini", "Legends of Pitkyaranta Stones".
Since 2009, the museum has been implementing the historical project “Near the old house”. According to the idea of the staff, an ordinary museum should turn into an open-air exposition, into a museum-estate. The uniqueness of the project also lies in the fact that the backyard area will be reconstructed according to the existing photographs and documents, achieving a complete restoration of the previous beautiful view. Previously, a magnificent apple orchard grew on the land, under the shade of which there were a gazebo and benches for relaxation. And in the park area, flower terraces and flower beds were built, the plants from which overwintered in the warm greenhouse of the house. Some of this splendor has survived to this day.
The house is surrounded by eternal pines, one of which was hit by a military shell, bifurcating the crown of the tree. The "Tree of War", as an eternal reminder to descendants of the old days, will take its place in this exhibition. In the large glades adjoining the sides of the building, only a few apple trees have survived from the once magnificent garden.
According to the project, a Rock Garden will be built in the restored park, which in the future will become a continuation of the already existing museum exhibition “The Legends of Pitkäranta Stones”. A playground made of natural materials will be built on one of the side glades. The second one will be equipped for holding fairs and exhibitions of handicrafts in the open air. The benches with a gazebo for relaxation during walks will also be returned to their place, and an apple orchard will grow over time.
