The Sea Is Our Way
29 May, 2010- 4 September, 2011

The Forum Marinum Foundation and the Åland Maritime Museum have agreed on exhibition co-operation. The Åland Maritime Museum had to close it doors last year, when the long awaited renovation and extension of the museum building started. The closing of the museum and the need for storage of its collection provided the Forum Marinum with the opportunity to produce an exhibition of the seafaring history of Åland in Turku. The common exhibition project naturally expands the co-operation between the museums, but also raises the profile of the museums in each other’s regions.

The various eras of Åland’s seafaring history form a long unbroken continuum. For hundreds of years, the sea, fishing and sea freight have formed the core livelihood of the Ålanders.

Over the centuries, the same wars, financial politics and legislation have influenced the line of trade of the inhabitants in both the Åland Islands and in the rest of the Finnish archipelago and on the coast. But whereas the others gave up seafaring and moved to mainly developing their farming, the Ålanders acquired new types of ships and developed their shipping industry. The wooden sail ships built on the home shores were changed for second-hand iron and steel hulled ocean vessels, and they, in turn, for coal steamers, tankers, cold freight vessels and car ferries. Today, there are ten shipping companies in the Åland Islands, for example, the listed companies Birka Line and Viking Line. The Åland ships hold a considerable share of the entire Finnish merchant fleet. The exhibition seeks to answer the question; what is the secret behind the success of the Åland shipping companies?

Production:
The Forum Marinum Foundation and the Åland Maritime Museum 2010.

Edellinen - Seuraava »