Collections
The image and collection services of the museums of the city of Hamina are closed from 1 June to 9 August 2026 due to the summer holiday season.
The collection of the Hamina City Museums consists of approximately 22,000 objects and approximately 6000 photographs. The collection of the Hamina City Museums mainly comprises objects related to the history and urban culture of the city of Hamina from the 18th century to the 1950s. In addition, the museums have some archive material. The archive material mainly concerning Hamina and Vehkalahti is placed in the Mikkeli Provincial Archives of the National Archives.
The closed collection of the Vehkalahti Local History Museum also contains approximately 20,000 objects and photographs. The collections cover, among other things, traditional livelihoods, clothing and education in the area of the former Vehkalahti municipality. A closed collection means that no more objects will be added to this collection, but new donations will be added to the collection of the museums of the city of Hamina.
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The museums are expanding their collections in accordance with their collection policy program, emphasizing the history of the city of Hamina and the communities that operated in Hamina, including the former Vehkalahti area.
Objects offered to collections should be as intact as possible and their history of use should be known. Objects should be related to Hamina, the people of Hamina, Vehkalahti or Vehkalahti. Good photographs of the object and a story about the background of the object help our collection staff to assess the museum value and significance of the object. We are not able to accept all offered objects. If the object is not suitable for addition to our collections, we can suggest offering it to other museums. We do not accept objects for storage (deposit), but when the object is included in the collection, the ownership of the object is transferred to the museums of the city of Hamina.
For photographs, the donor must have the copyright to the image or the image is so old that the copyright is no longer valid. Information about the photographer, the people, events or buildings depicted in the image, and the date of photography are important to us and help us assess the museum value and significance of the photographs. Photographs for which information has not been preserved are not suitable for museum collections. By donating a photograph to collections, the donor transfers all rights to the image to the museums of the city of Hamina.
We would like to receive contact information regarding objects and photographs to be offered for the collections primarily by email to museums@hamina.fi.
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As a rule, objects from the museum's collection are not brought from the collection storage for private viewing, but photographs of the objects can be provided. The delivery time for information and possible photographs is approximately one month, depending on the number of customer orders being processed.
Researchers interested in the collections are asked to contact us by email at museums@hamina.fiArrangements for conducting the study will be agreed on a case-by-case basis.
Loans of objects are only granted to other museums.
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Individuals can download images for private use free of charge from Finna as and when the image material is uploaded to the service.
If necessary, the museums provide photographic material to other museums and for various publications. The Photo Archive does not lend images outside the museums of the city of Hamina, but rather provides images as digital copies. Please contact museot@hamina.fi if you would like to use images. Fees may be charged for the use of images.
When reproducing documentary material (construction drawings, land deeds, etc.), the same pricing applies as for materials in the photo archive. Private individuals: includes keeping a copy of the image in your own photo album or on the wall of a space you use, in self-publishing, including theses, on the private individual's website and on your own social media sites. The owner of the image must be the Museums of the City of Hamina.
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Individuals and communities are welcome to support the Hamina City Museums in our work to preserve objects that tell the story of our common history for future generations. Adopting a museum object can mean, for example, donating to the conservation costs of a poorly maintained object, which are typically several hundred or even thousands of euros. Those interested in adopting a museum object are asked to contact the museum director Paula Kouk directly, paula.kouki@hamina.fi, tel. 040 746 4220.