Hanko Front Museum

The Hanko Front Museum is a war museum at Lappohja, about 20 km from the town of Hanko in Uusimaa, close to the border of the Soviet lease area of 1940-1941. After the Winter War, the Soviet Union leased the Hanko peninsula as a naval base, and in 1941 the area became a front during the Continuation War. The museum documents this period through objects, photographs and accounts from the front line, and its location near the former border gives the collection a sense of place. The address is Hankoniementie 1625, and the museum opens on limited days, which are Saturdays in September and October and Fridays in November and December. Visitors should confirm the days at rintamamuseo.fi before travelling, as the opening pattern is narrow. Admission is €10, about $12 USD. A visit takes roughly one to two hours, depending on interest in military history. Because it is open only on selected days, it is rarely crowded, and visitors usually have the exhibitions largely to themselves. It suits those with a particular interest in the Second World War in Finland, and it fits well into a road trip along the Hanko peninsula alongside the town of Hanko itself. The museum is about 20 km from Hanko, so a car or a taxi is the practical way to reach it, because public transport options are limited. Facts such as the contents of individual displays vary, and the museum's own website is the best source for current exhibitions.