Experience the magic of the Moomin stories in the world’s only Moomin Museum

The Moomin Museum, which opened its doors in 2017, is a joyful experience for new and old Moomin fans of all ages. With its modern, experiential and multisensory approach to Tove Jansson’s work, the museum gets the visitors’ imagination flowing. The Moomin Museum is a nontraditional museum where the original artwork of Tove Jansson and the three-dimensional tableaux of graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä are displayed in a way that stimulates all senses.

The highlights of the museum are the original Moomin illustrations by Tove Jansson, which she donated to Tampere Art Museum in 1986. The donations included more than 2000 artworks as well as 61 cardboard boxes full of rare Moomin items. Before the Museum opened its doors, the collection was on display in Tampere Art Museum’s Moominvalley exhibition.

Dive into Tove Jansson’s art in the exhibitions

The museum’s permanent exhibition presents Tove Jansson’s original Moomin illustrations as well as first editions of Moomin books and cover illustrations in various languages. As the illustrations are very light-sensitive, they can be displayed only for a limited period at a time. The permanent exhibition is updated approximately every three years, latest in the fall of 2024.

In the permanent exhibition, visitors can also admire the five-storey Moominhouse replica, crafted by Tove Jansson, Tuulikki Pietilä, and their friend Pentti Eistola.

In the museum’s Observatorium, guests will find exciting temporary exhibitions. The temporary exhibitions change regularly, so there’s always something new to explore in the museum. You can find information about the current exhibitions on the museum website.

What can you do in the Moomin Museum?

The museum is an interactive experience where the visitor gets to experience the Moomin stories through original illustrations, paintings and three-dimensional tableaux. The stories can also be enjoyed in the Reading Room full of Moomin books. The library’s collection includes Moomin stories in dozens of different languages, such as Afrikaans, Dutch, Japanese, Karelian, Korean and Chinese, as well as books full of information about Tove Jansson. 

If you wish to buy a souvenir from your museum visit, you can do so in the museum shop. The shop stocks f Moomin books, homeware, postcards and other fun items for all ages, including some exclusive products only available at the Moomin Museum. Moomin postcards sent from Tampere Hall will also get the special Moomin Museum stamp!

The Studio lets museum visitors unleash their creativity in guided workshops. Get inspired by Tove Jansson’s wonderful artwork and discover your inner artist! Admission to the Studio is included in the Moomin Museum ticket.

Naturally, the museum also organises guided tours and different kinds of events for all ages. You can find the calendar of coming events on the museum’s website and plan your visit accordingly.

Comet artwork welcomes visitors to the museum

Visitors are welcomed to the museum by a wonderful piece of art inspired by Tove Jansson’s original drawings for the book Comet in Moominland. The Comet by Finnish artist Hanna Vihriälä consists of more than 200 000 acrylic beads as well as stainless wires and aluminium ferrules setting the beads in their places. The material choices and technology brings airiness, lightness, and light to the exhibition space.

First exhibitions introduced the Moomins

In the museum’s first permanent exhibit “What happens next?” visitors could learn about the whole story of the Moomins all the way from the great flood to the mysterious disappearance of the Moomin family one November. In total, there were nearly 400 original illustrations and about 30 tableaus on display.

The Moomin Museum’s first temporary exhibition was called “Tove Jansson and the Moomins”. The exhibition introduced the creation of the Moomins through Tove Jansson’s life story. The exhibition followed the path of Jansson’s creative development as a Moomin illustrator as well as the visual evolution of the Moomin characters over the passing years. In the exhibition, visitors could also familiarise themselves with the commercial world of the Moomins. The first temporary exhibition presented archive treasures from the collection Tove Jansson donated to the Tampere Art Museum in 1986. The exhibition featured, for example, Tove Jansson’s rarely seen black Moomins from the 1930s. Other specialties were Tove Jansson’s early comics from the 1940s for the Ny Tid magazine and several original covers of the Moomin books published in different countries.

Visit the Moomin Museum

The Moomin Museum is located at Tampere Hall, in the centre of Tampere. Check the opening hours and other important information on the museum’s website and experience the magic of the Moomin stories!