Seurasaari, Hvitträsk and other museum sites will be closed

The Museum Office cooperation negotiations have ended. As a result of the negotiations, museum sites will be closed, services will be reduced and almost the entire staff will be furloughed for different periods of time, tells The Museum Agency in its announcement.

Among the museum sites of the National Museum of Finland, operated by the Finnish Museum Agency, Seurasaari in Helsinki, Hvitträsk in Kirkkonummi, Louhisaari in Askaisen and Langinkoski in Kotka are closed for the time being.

“Closing museums has a significant impact on tourism and the vitality of their regions,” the agency’s press release states.

The starting point in the negotiations was the dismissal of a maximum of 30 people, but the dismissals will be replaced by, among other things, layoffs. About 220 people work permanently at the Museum Agency.

Also expert and official services related to the cultural environment, collections and museums will shrink and slow down, and development projects will be suspended.

In the negotiations, cuts of 3.2 million euros were sought from next year’s expenses.

The financial frameworks are getting smaller, and the Finnish Museum Agency is preparing for joint negotiations next spring as well, says the Finnish Museum Agency in its press release.