The Juva Museum and the Juva Karelian Museum

The Juva Museum is based in the main building of the Partala demesne farm, on the ridge of Männynmäki near the current-day town centre of Juva. Artefacts found by archaeologists reveal the site was first inhabited in the late Iron Age. During its long history, the building has been both privately owned as well as a crown property. Through 1555–1561, Partala was host to a royal demesne founded by king Gustav Vasa. The modern-day main building dates to the mid-1800s, while the rest of the outlying buildings are mainly from the early 1900s. The municipality of Juva has owned the farm since 1919.

The main building began operating as a museum in 1992. The museum’s collection contains over 3000 items relating to agriculture and domestic science. These items are owned by the association Juvan kotiseutu- ja museoyhdistys ry and entrusted to the municipality of Juva, which is also responsible for the operation of the museum itself.

Since 1980, the Juva Karelian Museum has been based in another building in the same farmyard, an old community hall. Its collection consists of practical items that Karelian refugees to the area brought with them after the Winter and Continuation Wars and the loss of much of Finnish Karelia. The items show that many of the Karelians who settled in Juva came from the area of Rautjärvi. Items on display include furniture, a variety of textiles, and tools related to agriculture and animal husbandry. The collection is owned by the association Juvan Karjalaiset ry, with the municipality of Juva being responsible for the operation of the museum.