Midsummer in Helsinki? Enjoy the history of car ferries and Customs at the Customs Museum

If you are having an urban midsummer in Helsinki, you are most welcome to the Customs Museum in Suomenlinna. Next year will mark the 300th anniversary of the first legal act that categorically determined the responsibilities of customs officers. The history of customs crime prevention goes even further than that, to more than 300 years ago. The thematic summer exhibition at the Customs Museum focuses on the history of car ferry traffic.

The first legal provision that definitively outlined the tasks and responsibilities of customs authorities dates back to almost 300 years ago, to 1724. The charter issued at that time summarised instructions for customs clearance and customs authorities from the 1600s. The charter specified the chronological stages of customs clearance starting with the arrival of goods. Moreover, a specific set of instructions was issued for shoreline horse riders – the customs authorities who supervised coastal traffic on horseback.

The history of customs crime prevention goes back to 1689 when investigations regarding customs offences were given official standing in the royal decree on court proceedings. The decree deemed customs offences as comprising a distinct type of crime requiring special procedures. Although the regulations on foreign trade have changed a lot during the centuries, customs offences still have their own special characteristics.

– Sea traffic has always been closely linked to our foreign trade, starting from when our first laws and customs regulations were drafted. Even today, more than 90 % of our foreign trade involves sea routes. The grounding principles of our activity are also evident in the old decrees. We still prevent illicit goods from crossing our borders, and we make sure that legal products move as smoothly as possible, says museum curator Janne Nokki.

Customs Museum open on midsummer from 12.30 to 17.30

At the Customs Museum in Suomenlinna, you will get an insight into the history of customs clearance and customs offences, and into their impact on our society. The new thematic summer exhibition titled “By Ferry from the West” tells the intertwined story of car ferries and Finnish Customs from the 1950s to the present day and into the future.

Where?

The Customs Museum is located in the Hamilton-Polhem Curtain in Suomenlinna, Helsinki (Suomenlinna B 20 D). Here’s how you get there.

When?

The Customs Museum is open all summer from 12.30 to 17.30, Tuesday through Sunday.

What does it cost?

The Customs Museum has free admission.

More information about the Customs Museum is available on the museum website.