Museum Lusto – The Finnish Forest Museum

Lusto is the national museum responsible for forest culture – it is an international meeting place of the past and future of man and forest at Punkaharju.

Forest has always served as the foundation of Finnish subsistence and culture – and it is still the case today. Lusto’s exhibitions, collections, events, work demonstrations and theme days provide a diverse and illustrative insight into forest and the significance of forest in the life of the Finnish people.

The scenic national landscape of Punkaharju and the specialty of the museum, the forest, have had a decisive impact on Lusto's architecture. Completed in 1994, the museum building has evoked plenty of interest from the start. For example, it was selected as an exhibit of the modern Finnish architecture of the 20th century. The Lusto extension opened to the public in 2008, and it represents the Finnish wood architecture.

Work demonstrations and events are an essential part of the interactive and live forest culture heritage of Lusto. The significance of forest culture is highlighted in different events and work demonstrations. They inspire one to learn about the comprehensive significance of forests for the Finnish way of life and economic and spiritual well-being.

The permanent exhibitions at Lusto display the interaction between man and forest in a versatile manner from the past to present day. The changing special exhibitions open up new perspectives on different aspects of forest culture. The museum's ever-expanding collections currently contain about 14,500 exhibits, about 500,000 photographs and negatives, as well as 1,500 different movies and films. The library has about 15,000 publications.

The museum shop, Lusto Shop, sells forest-related, mainly domestic quality products. The selection includes ornamental and utility items, jewellery, toys, games, textiles, postcards and theme products related to special exhibitions. There is also an extensive selection of literature related to forest and nature. Lusto Shop is open during the museum's opening hours, and you can shop in the shop without an entrance ticket.