Parish Hall Museum

The Parish Hall Museum is located in downtown Hirvensalmi. The museum building is a former parish room, a large country house built in 1898, that also served as the parish and town hall until 1984. The museum now exhibits the career of statesman Ahti Karjalainen and also photographs and objects related to the important turning points in the history of Finland. Ahti Karjalainen was one of the most significant politicians in the post-World War II history of Finland. He was born in 1923 in the village of Kuitula in Hirvensalmi, and, today, his childhood home Lepola is a museum.

As of 1957, Ahti Karjalainen served in several governments, among others as the Minister of Trade and Industry and Minister for Foreign Affairs. He was Finland’s Prime Minister in 1962–1963 and in 1970–1971. In 1981, he aspired to become the Centre Party’s presidential candidate but lost “the doctors’ battle” against Johannes Virolainen. He withdrew from politics and served as the Governor of the Bank of Finland in 1982–1983. He died in 1990.

In the eyes of both its residents and tourists, the most admired feature in Hirvensalmi is its nature spotted with
lakes, islands, and capes. “Nature’s eternal beauty” the new permanent exhibition of the Hirvensalmi Museum for local history and culture, tells the story of man and nature working together. At times, nature sets limits for man’s possibilities, and, at times, man exerts power to modify nature. The exhibition tells about the history of black alder and gives an insight on slash-and-burn cultivation and on the importance of water bodies in Hirvensalmi.