Temporary exhibitions

Maritime Centre Vellamo 7.5.2010–15.1.2012

Oulu (1800–1860), Liverpool (1860–1930), Kotka (1950–1970), Helsinki (2010). Four ports from four eras. Each one represents a period in the history of seafaring over the last 200 years. They have much to tell us about trade and shipping as well as the history of internationalisation, technology, the global economy and the environment.

In the early 19th century, Oulu was a busy port for sailing ships. Its main exports were tar and timber. It was an important point of contact for trade and information between northern and eastern Finland and the rest of the world. Ships from Oulu could be seen all over the world.

Liverpool was one of the world’s largest ports in the 19th century. Raw materials and consumer goods passed through the city on their way to Europe’s developing markets. Liverpool’s main ‘exports’ were the migrants setting out for America and tourists in search of luxury. Liverpool was also a place that was familiar to thousands of Finnish seamen and migrants.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Kotka was one of Finland’s biggest ports of export. It witnessed the final days of manual stevedoring, as cranes and mechanisation quickly took over. Manual loading and unloading was a slow process and took a lot of manpower – and that included both men and women. The ships and their crews would spend several days in the port, and they left their mark on the city.

Helsinki’s Vuosaari Harbour became Finland’s main port for foreign trade in 2008. It exports Finnish industrial products around the world and imports domestic appliances and food for all of us. However, the ordinary inhabitants of the city know little about their modern-day port as the harbour and docks are closed to outsiders.

Port activity has always been reflected in the natural and urban environment. There has been a dramatic increase in traffic at ports in the past 200 years. It has become a lot faster to get from one place to another and ships have grown to a phenomenal size. The use of containers in shipping has revolutionised the global economy perhaps just as much as the internet. Ports have an indirect effect on all our lives, every day of the year.

The exhibition is produced by the Maritime Museum of Finland and the Museum of Kymenlaakso.

Welcome to discover the colourful journey of four harbours through centuries!