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Kaskinen Museum
Kaskinen island, with its unique natural harbor, had already become a navigation hub by the end of the 1700s. The Bladhs, father and son, laid the foundation for this development. The city that had been newly founded in 1785 needed a well-equipped harbour with a customs house, a packing warehouse and quays. Tar was exported, salt was imported, other wealthy shipowners carried on the trade and new ships were built. Renström was a local merchant who imported a good deal coming up to the Christmas of 1848 – liquorice, coffee, raisins, and lemons – this was a gateway to the world! Even to this day, the harbour has nine quays, and 1.3 million tonnes of goods pass through the harbour each year.
Kaskinen is a genuine sailors’ town – here, over 1000 sailors have signed on and embarked on their ships over the centuries. How did their lives turn out? Kaskinen Museum has collected information, stories and artifacts related to life at sea, and the museum’s navigation room provides an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves further in local maritime history, for example by listening to dramatic tales and watching the film material provided. Many adventures and destinies can be found in the pages of the book published by Kaskinen Local History Society: Skepp o hoj. Vain merimies sen tietää.
The museum also shows what the life of an upper-middle class family was like in the 1850s. For example, there is an extensive collection of hats and garments that were owned by bourgeois families, as well as a punch veranda. Come and see how the gentry lived!
