The Polytechnic Museum
The Museum, founded in 1958, is the only museum in the world that is
maintained solely by voluntary student work and that concentrates on
the culture and traditions of technology students. The museum is
situated in Otaniemi and presents the technology student world through
pictures, words, and artifacts from three centuries as the Student
Union of Helsinki University of Technology was founded 136 years ago.
For
its 50th anniversary, the museum has been refurbished and the lighting
and displays modernized. The basic exhibition has been renewed
entirely. Caps and overalls of tech students are richly represented, as
well as the most notorious events and pranks among with more serious
history. The museum portrays lavishly technology students’ history,
traditions, and modern day with interesting artifacts in two floors.
The
museum exhibitions are collected from the
Polyteekkariarkisto-Polytekararkivet archives. These two departments
form the history section of the student union.
Polyteekkariarkisto-Polytekararkivet archives are the official archives
of the student union, and it is the final archive of the student union,
concentrating on conserving the culture of technology students. The
collections are constantly updated thanks to the operations of the
student union, but we also receive valuable donations and acquire some
materials. An important aspect is saving the everyday life, because
everyday items are easily lost over time.
The museum is open
to the public on Sundays during the academic terms and at other times
by request. The museum board guides visitors at the museum, also in
foreign languages.
Contact: [email protected]