Winter War Museum Raatteen Portti

The Winter War exhibition tells about Suomussalmi before the Winter War, evacuation preparations, the impact of the bitterly cold winter on the course of the war, the fate of the Red Army, the valuable spoils of war Finland gained from Raate Road and the conditions to which people returned after the war.

The exhibition includes a documentary film (14 min) scripted by Pekka Lehtosaari. The subtitles are available in Finnish, Swedish, English, German and Russian.

You can visit the exhibition either on your own or book an guide in advance.

A changing exhibition

Continuation war exhibition

Raateen Portti’s Continuation War Exhibition (1941-1944) presents weapons, cannonballs and grenades from the war between Finland and the Soviet Union. In addition, there are propaganda posters as well as cards and letters from the front line. You can also test how heavy a ranger’s backpack is and handle real deactivated weapons.

Field track

As a novelty, a short section of field track has been made to Raatteen Portti. A 178 km long field track was built by Germany and their leader Chancellor Adolf Hitler in ​​Hyrynsalmi, Suomussalmi, Taivalkoski and Kuusamo. The narrow-gauge railway, with rails only 75 cm wide, was built between 1942 and 1944. The track was fully operational for just 4 months. Certain original details and information about the field track have been gathered around the track built in the area. You can also see the original rail track and a sand wagon.

Guided tours

Guided tours of the exhibition are organized, starting at 50 €/h. The guide must be booked at least three days in advance.

You can book the bus guide from Suomussalmi Tourist Office visit@suomussalmi.fi or +358 44 777 3250.