Smart Work 2025: Kekri at Palander House

The city’s strategic implementation programmes include a roadmap for events and tourism. It mentions small events that “create a buzz” in the city and have the potential to grow into bigger ones. The Kekri event at Palander House fits perfectly into this category. For now, it is still a one-day event, but there is plenty of room for the theme to grow.

By increasing awareness of this City Museum site, the strategy’s emphasis on the importance of the city’s own tourist attractions is also reinforced.

Several cultural institutions and other actors could potentially be brought together for the Kekri event. In the coming years, the City Museum itself is planning to expand it into an event spread over several days, aimed at different visitor groups (lectures, workshops, school visits, etc.).

Together with various cultural operators (and even commercial ones), it would be possible to create a Kekri/harvest-themed series of events lasting a couple of weeks, starting from the autumn school holiday week, and thereby brand Hämeenlinna as Finland’s Kekri City. This would respond to the city’s tourism strategy’s aim of turning a small event (or events) into a larger whole that attracts visitors to the city. Kekri is particularly well suited to this kind of expansion, as in traditional agricultural society it fell at the end of October, during the so-called “division period” — a roughly 12-day stretch marking the transition between two working years.

According to numerous studies (including one by the World Health Organization, WHO, in 2019), participating in art and cultural events—whether as a creator or as an audience member—promotes and supports mental health and well-being. The Kekri event at Palander House has now been held for two years, and customer feedback has been very positive. The event is also part of a specialist vocational qualification in product development for two City Museum employees.

Residents of Hämeenlinna have gained a new seasonal event in the museum setting of Palander House, and Palander House has gained new visitors alongside its Christmas, Easter, and winter fun events. The museum site’s potential uses have expanded further, now showcasing not only the history of the gentry but also Finnish and local folk traditions. Thanks to the event, the museum has also attracted a group that rarely visits otherwise—young people. In addition, the museum’s collaboration with other partners has increased (Pysäkki Volunteer Centre’s Culture Helpers, young theatre enthusiasts, and the city library).

As an intangible product that makes efficient use of recycled materials, the event has also been highly ecological. The museum’s customer service staff’s own areas of expertise have been utilised in jointly planning the event.

Developers

Anna-Maija Huusko, Head of Museum Services
Annaliina Granqvist, Museum Lecturer