The natural beauty and cultural delights of Riihisaari

By Molly McPharlin

Located in the heart of Finland’s lake district overlooking the majestic Olavinlinna Castle, Riihisaari is a peaceful, woodsy promontory offering meandering walks and views of surrounding Lake Saimaa. It is also a museum island, home to the award-winning Savonlinna Museum and Metsähallitus Saimaa Nature Centre. All of this is just a ten-minute walk from the centre of Savonlinna, a tourist destination for the region.

Riihisaari offers both permanent and temporary exhibitions focusing on themes of local culture, history, art, and nature. It also offers visitors the opportunity to explore one of the largest collections of over one-hundred-year-old steamships in Finland, including a schooner, a tugboat, and the last true wood-hulled tar steamer, named Mikko.

Piia Karjalainen, customer service officer at Riihisaari, feels that the museum and surrounding nature offer something for everyone. “Our visitors range from babies to older people. Many enjoy our exhibitions and come back again and again,” she says. The main exhibition, In the Heart of Lake Saimaa, focuses on the area’s cultural history. There is also a great emphasis on art, including historic photographs, and even a wonderful collection of dolls.

The natural beauty and cultural delights of Riihisaari

Photo: Riihisaari/Jussi Kirmanen

Families especially enjoy their time at Riihisaari. The museum provides children with the chance to enjoy hands-on activities and feel welcome in the museum’s space. “Riihisaari is also visited annually by hundreds of school children,” says Karjalainen. “We offer them guided activities targeted at their age group. And every person under 18 visits for free.”

Riihisaari is also popular with travellers coming to Finland who hope to visit Olavinlinna and its surrounding sites. “For guests from abroad, we have a guided programme in English in the summertime, popular with both adult and younger guests,” Karjalainen says. “During the rest of the year, it can be requested.”

Planning is underway to create a public, year-round communal sauna next to the museum. This should make a visit to Riihisaari even more exciting and attractive, giving visitors the chance to also experience Finnish sauna culture. “Many people coming to Riihisaari want to know about local Finnish life and this will add another dimension to what we can show them,” Karjalainen thinks.

Savonlinna and Lake Saimaa itself offer an abundance of things to see and do. In 2024, the region was awarded the European Region of Gastronomy title, celebrating the flavours and cultural traditions of Eastern Finland. And in November, the Riihisaari Blues Festival will be organised by the museum, including a cigar box guitar exhibition this autumn.