Pohjanmaan Museo

Lonely Planet review

Vaasa is blessed with an excellent museum. The Pohjanmaan Museo has two sections, both worthwhile.

The art collection upstairs is extraordinary. Most of it was amassed by local doctor Karl Hedman, with the help of art-hound Gösta Stenman. There's an excellent range of works from the 'Golden Age' of Finnish painting, with Hugo Simberg, Helene Schjerfbeck and the characteristic expressionist landscapes of Tyko Sallinen particularly well represented. Look out for the latter's famous Dwarf , as well as a fine head of Christ by Akseli Gallen-Kallela. More surprisingly, there's also a high-quality selection of European masters, purchased for virtually nothing in the chaos in Russia after the revolution. A Tintoretto, a pair of Luca Giordanos, a fine 15th-century Flemish Deposition by Roger van der Weyden, and a round Botticelli Madonna are some of several fine canvases. There's also a good porcelain collection, with Meissen, Delft, and Wedgwood pieces prominent.

Downstairs, Terra Nova is devoted to the ecosystem of the local environment. This part of the Gulf of Bothnia is known as the Kvarken; the land is still rising as the crust 'rebounds' after the last Ice Age weighed it down. There's a collection of local butterflies, great photos of seals, and a display of bird and animal life. A spooky 'virtual aquarium' introduces the finny tribes.