Carelicum

Top choice


Themed displays – on the region’s prehistory, its war-torn past, the Karelian evacuation, the importance of the sauna etc – cover both sides of Karelia's present-day border at this excellent museum. Highlights include a Junkers bomber engine, and local hunting and fishing equipment including a 200-year-old crossbow.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Taitokortteli

0.08 MILES

Dating back over a century, these charming wooden buildings are some of the few remaining in Joensuu; some have been relocated here from other parts of…

2. Town Hall

0.1 MILES

Dominating the town centre, the art deco town hall was designed by Eliel Saarinen – the architect most famous for Helsinki’s train station – and completed…

3. Joensuun Taidemuseo

0.14 MILES

The impressive collection at Joensuu’s art museum spans Chinese pieces, examples of Finnish modernism and an intriguing selection of Orthodox icons.

4. Orthodox Church of St Nicholas

0.42 MILES

Joensuu’s most intriguing church is the wooden Orthodox church, built in 1887 with icons painted in St Petersburg during the late 1880s. Services are held…

5. Perhos-Botania

1.38 MILES

Founded in 1957, Joensuu's botanic gardens contain over 600 plant species in four separate areas: desert, tropical, sub-tropical and temperate. Highlights…

6. Joensuu Bunker Museum

3.54 MILES

Situated 8.5km northwest of the city centre, off Rd 9, this outdoor museum is part of the Suomen Salpa ('Finland's Bolt'). Built between the Winter War…