Discover Pori: Art, park life and hotels

Pori combines contemporary art and industrial history with a wealth of outdoor discoveries. The Pori Art Museum focuses on current Finnish and international art; Kirjurinluoto complements a visit with walking paths, play areas and a display garden. This lets you shape your stay around very different interests—from a museum visit to time in green surroundings.

Pori at a glance

• Founded in 1981, the Pori Art Museum presents changing exhibitions of contemporary art.
• The museum is located at Eteläranta on the banks of the Kokemäenjoki, about 1.5 kilometres from the bus station and railway station.
• Its collection comprises nearly 4,000 works of Finnish and international art, from the early 19th century to the present day.
• Kirjurinluoto, Pori’s central park, is about a five-minute walk from the market square.
• A short walking loop on Kirjurinluoto is 1.3 kilometres long.

Contemporary art on the Kokemäenjoki

The Pori Art Museum is a good place to start for anyone interested in contemporary art. Its high-quality temporary exhibitions explore trends in Finnish and international art, as well as pressing social issues. Works from the collection can also be seen in changing exhibitions and at various events. The nearly 4,000 works in the collection span the period from the early 19th century to the present day.

The building itself adds to the story of a museum visit: it was built in 1860 and is located at Eteläranta, on the banks of the Kokemäenjoki. The building also contains a cellar ruin dating from the 17th century. Here, art, architectural history and a much older part of the building come together in one place. The museum is also a bicycle-friendly Welcome Cyclist destination and is situated along well-maintained cycle paths.

The distance offers a rough guide for getting there: the museum is about 1.5 kilometres from both the bus station and the railway station. This is an approximate distance, not a walking time. If you choose to make art a focus of your stay, the museum offers both changing displays and works from a collection spanning several centuries.

Kirjurinluoto: park, walks and activities

Kirjurinluoto is Pori’s central park and a popular recreation and leisure area. It is about a five-minute walk from Pori’s market square. There is a short 1.3-kilometre loop for a walk; Kirjurinluoto also offers opportunities to walk in natural surroundings close to the city. This makes it easy to plan some time outdoors as a separate activity, without the need for a long excursion.

The roughly three-hectare Pelle-Hermanni Park has free-to-access play areas, slides and climbing frames for different age groups. Vinkkari Traffic Park offers another way to combine movement with learning about rules: visitors can ride pedal cars and bicycles while learning about traffic rules. The two activities have different focuses—free play in the park and a traffic-themed activity.

Frisbee golf enthusiasts will find a 21-hole park on Kirjurinluoto. The tee areas are surfaced with artificial turf. For botanical sights, visit Hanhipuisto: the display garden brings together trees, shrubs and flowering plants that thrive in Satakunta, including rarer species and varieties. In summer, you can also see alpacas, goats and birds such as peacocks and chickens on Kirjurinluoto. This animal visit is a seasonal feature of the park.

Mausoleum and industrial history

The Jusélius Mausoleum is located in Käppärä Cemetery and is part of Pori’s National Urban Park. Church architect Josef Stenbäck designed the mausoleum in the Gothic Revival style. Its present-day frescoes also have a story of their own: Jorma Gallen-Kallela painted them between 1933 and 1939, based on designs by his father, Akseli Gallen-Kallela. The architecture and paintings offer two distinct historical points of reference for a visit.

The Rosenlew Museum is dedicated to the industrial heritage of the Satakunta region. Its permanent exhibition presents the history and production of the Rosenlew company; objects and photographs relating to the working and leisure lives of its employees are also on display. The museum is housed in a state-owned granary completed in the 1860s and preserved for its cultural and historical value. The museum offers a different perspective for your cultural itinerary than the art museum: its focus is on company history, production and everyday life.

Combine experiences to suit your interests

When planning your stay, you can start by deciding which themes you want it to focus on. The Pori Art Museum is a specific option for contemporary Finnish and international art; for industrial and everyday history, consider the Rosenlew Museum. Kirjurinluoto offers a different mix of walking opportunities, play areas, a display garden and Frisbee golf. The options therefore range from exhibitions and historic buildings to outdoor activities.

The season also changes part of the experience: the animals on Kirjurinluoto are a summer offering, and Kirjurinluoto is a summer venue for Pori Jazz. If you want to combine different interests on your trip, you can consider these seasonal features alongside the museum and park experiences described as available year-round. Discover more destinations: Siikainen, Kalliala, Säkylä, Kokemäki, Noormarkku, Honkajoki and Eura.

Frequently asked questions about Pori

What does the Pori Art Museum exhibit?

The museum presents high-quality temporary exhibitions of contemporary Finnish and international art, which also address social issues. Works from the collection can be seen in changing exhibitions and at various events.

How far is the Pori Art Museum from the railway station and bus station?

The museum is about 1.5 kilometres from both the railway station and the bus station. This is an approximate distance, not the time it takes to get there.

What can families do on Kirjurinluoto?

Pelle-Hermanni Park has free-to-access play areas, slides and climbing frames for different age groups. At Vinkkari Traffic Park, visitors can ride pedal cars and bicycles while learning about traffic rules.

What walking opportunities are there on Kirjurinluoto?

A short loop is 1.3 kilometres long. There are also opportunities to walk in natural surroundings close to the city.

Which animals can you see on Kirjurinluoto in summer?

Summer visitors can see alpacas and goats, as well as birds such as peacocks and chickens. The animal offering is seasonal.

For the broader travel overview: Satakunta.