The Customs Museum starts its summer season – the new exhibition gives a glimpse of the history of car ferries

The Customs Museum opens its doors again on 13 May in Suomenlinna. The new thematic exhibition, “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. Take a summer day trip to Suomenlinna and get a glimpse of history.

Car ferries have become commonplace to us Finns – they carry cruise passengers as well as cargo trucks across the Baltic Sea. The ferry traffic has, however, been of enormous importance to the Finnish economy and culture. Car ferries have served as our gateway to the Western world.

At the Customs Museum’s new exhibition, you can explore the story of car ferries. Discover the different car ferry ports or try your hand at checking the seal on a cargo load. The Customs Museum’s permanent exhibition gives a more comprehensive view of the history of customs activities in Finland.

The car ferries revolutionised our international trade and brought new trends from the West

As far as international trade is concerned, Finland is like an island – even these days, up to 95% of Finland’s imports and exports are transported by sea.

– The introduction of car ferries revolutionised our entire international trade. Goods no longer needed to be unloaded at the port – instead, they could be carried smoothly on trucks from one port to another. Year-round traffic became profitable, as summer was the busiest time for passenger traffic and wheeled cargo was carried on the car decks in the wintertime. On the other hand, the new kind of ease in goods traffic also gave rise to new kinds of crime, says museum curator Janne Nokki from Finnish Customs.

Ferry traffic has also shaped our culture to a surprising extent. In the past decades, many western phenomena, such as fashion, food influences and consumption patterns arrived in Finland by sea with ferry passengers. Many Finns still remember the shopping trips to Stockholm in the 1980s, when the range of products available in Swedish shops was light years ahead of our own.

A day trip to Suomenlinna – welcome to the Customs Museum

Located on Susisaari island in Suomenlinna, the Customs Museum is an ideal destination for a summer day trip for visitors of all ages. Suomenlinna also has many other sights to see while you’re there. At the Customs Museum, in addition to the temporary exhibition, you will also get to know more about the history of Finnish Customs and its role in Finnish society. The items on display include objects smuggled over the years, instruments and tools used by customs officials as well as old-time uniforms.

What?
The Customs Museum’s new thematic exhibition, “By Ferry from the West”, tells the story of car ferries. The museum’s permanent exhibition presents a more comprehensive view of the history of customs activities.

Where?
The Customs Museum is located in the Hamilton-Polhem Curtain in Suomenlinna, Helsinki (Suomenlinna B 20 D). Arrival instructions.

When?
The Customs Museum starts its summer season on Saturday, 13 May, and will be open through the summer, Tuesday to Sunday 12.30–17.30.

What does it cost?
The Customs Museum has free admission.

More information about the Customs Museum on the museum website.