Maritime Centre Vellamo

Vellamo opened in 2008 on the harbour at Kotka in a building whose long curved roof, clad in metal and rising at one end, was designed to read as a wave or a hull from the water. It houses two museums under one roof: the Maritime Museum of Finland, moved here from Helsinki, covering seafaring, shipbuilding, navigation and the archipelago, and the regional museum of Kymenlaakso covering local history and industry. Displays include boats, ship models, diving equipment and material recovered from wrecks in the Gulf of Finland, of which there are a great many. An icebreaker and other vessels are moored outside in summer and can sometimes be boarded.

What you actually see

• The wave-shaped roof - the 2008 building on the harbour front.
• Wreck material from the Gulf of Finland - objects recovered from the seabed.
• Boats and ship models - the maritime collection in the main hall.
• Vessels moored outside - the ships alongside in summer.

When to go

Year round. Half a day. Closed Mondays. The moored vessels are accessible in summer only. Temporary exhibitions carry separate charges.

Honest expectations

It is two museums in one building and the mix can feel unfocused. Some displays are text-heavy. Access to moored ships depends on the season and on staffing. Kotka is a working port town with limited other attractions.

Nearby

Langinkoski is north; Hamina lies east.