Guided tours at the military historical sites of Suomussalmi
The military historical sites are easily accessible in Suomussalmi, but they are located within a large area
Raatteen Portti Museum and the Winter War Monument
It is possible to learn about the events of the Winter War in Suomussalmi at the Raatteen Portti Winter War exhibition. The current changing exhibition there focuses on the phases of the Continuation War and on the field railway (Feldbahn). The museum and the surrounding area include the Winter War Museum, themed trails and the Winter War Monument. You can take a coffee break at Café Kanttiini Päämaja and enjoy the popular knight’s doughnuts “ritarimunkki”.
Raatteen Portti museum and the Winter War monument are located about 23 km from the centre of Suomussalmi (Raatteentie 2, 89800 Suomussalmi).
Untold Arctic Wars – digital exhibition
The exhibition is based on the documentary series of the same name, which deals with the unexplored events of World War II in the Arctic region.
The digital exhibition includes a wide collection of digital material, which is available to the visitors through touch screens. It is also possible to view a Raatteentie short film (15 min) which is about the field studies carried out at Raatteentie.
The exhibition has free entry and can be viewed at the Jalonniemitalo during the opening hours of the Suomussalmi tourist office (Jalonkaarre, 89600 Suomussalmi).
Military historical sites
The original traces of the wars are still visible in many places. You can visit the restored Winter War defence positions in Purasjoki, and the Frontier Guard Museum in Raate. Memorials and memorial plaques of the Winter War and the Continuation War are located throughout the municipality area.
Guided Winter War tour
The guided Winter War tour takes about eight hours, during which it is possible to get acquainted with the key battle sites. The tour includes about 152 km of driving from the centre of Suomussalmi
Lunch can be ordered separately from, for example, Hiljaisen Kansan Niittykahvila (tel. +358 50 362 0609 or ritva.huttunen@kuutamokeikat.fi).
Untold Arctic Wars – digital exhibition is worth checking out, for example, the following day.
