Exhibitions
Where Land & Sea Meet
Hanko Museum main exhibition
Since 15.5.2025
Located by the sea, Hanko has always been a gateway to the world – but also a place to which people have returned despite war and hardship. Come and experience its fascinating history.
Follow the emigrants on their journey to America in the early 1900s – what was it like to leave one’s homeland behind and travel into the unknown? Pause at a peaceful pier and get acquainted with local life in the archipelago. Dive down to the Garpen wreck and discover the objects hidden beneath the waves.
Learn about industry in Hanko – where everything between heaven and earth has been produced. Sunny Hanko also presents itself at its best here, and a 19th century villa invites you to take a look inside. Hanko’s unique nature comes vividly to life.
New!
Irmelin Sandman Lilius
A Hanko resident and the creator of Tulavall
8.10.2026–29.8.2027
Irmelin Sandman Lilius is a well-known Finnish-Swedish writer and artist, whose works, translated into several languages, have fascinated readers for decades.
During Irmelin’s anniversary year, we are presenting her life’s work aiming to attract new readers to her books and art while also highlighting Hanko as a city of culture.
The children’s room at the Hanko Museum, opened in May 2026, will also feature Irmelin’s work and the world of her stories.
Through this exhibition and related events, we want to inspire a love of creativity and reading, particularly among children and young people.
Alongside the exhibition about Irmelin Sandman Lilius, we will present works by visual artists from Hanko who have drawn inspiration from Irmelin’s art and production. Margareta Gripenberg’s acrylic work Irmelin och nattkatten Nyx will be presented on Thursday, October 15, at 1:00 PM.
Inspiration is everywhere around us
Photo Guessod Guireh
Adelaide
Part of the clothing collection will be displayed with the main exhibition
15.5.2025–18.4.2027
In the 1990s, the Hanko Museum was gifted a unique collection of ladies’ dresses spanning six generations. The ladies of the family had unpicked the dresses into parts and wrapped them in newspaper. The newspaper kept pests at bay and ensured that the fabric laid flat. Thanks to the peculiar storage method, these culturally and historically important dresses are well preserved.
Adelaide’s daughter, Tekla Ekestubbe, and granddaughter, Dordi Sundblom, carefully preserved six generations of textiles. This unique collection will be showcased at Hanko Museum in rotating exhibitions every two years.
Welcome to explore the history of craftsmanship and fashion!
Hanko Water 120 years
18.6.2026–31.1.2027
The exhibition highlights, among other things, how water supply technology has developed over more than a hundred years and where Hanko gets its natural and clean groundwater. The exhibition also gives you a chance to remind yourself of the sewer etiquette!
Especially for younger visitors, there is an exciting peekpipe and a pipe station where you can assemble the pipework yourself.
The exhibition has been made in collaboration with Hanko Water municipal utility.
