Museum

The main theme at the Degerby Igor Museum is the lease period of Porkkala 1944-1956, which was a consequence of the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union. The lease period of Porkkala was a unique and unbelievable epoch in the politic history of Finland. It was also a severe threat to the Finnish independence. Only now doors are opening and new information is coming to the surface and the interest in this period increases.

How long did the passage through the Porkkala tunnel last?

Were there any Soviet citizens left behind after 1956?

Is Porkkala still crowded with snakes?

And who was Igor?

We do not have the answers to all the questions we are asked, but we do know now why the Soviets painted houses in blue and today we know much more about the people living in the base, called Porkkala-Udd . The lease period is always our main theme, new stories, pictures and facts from the naval base 1944-1956 keep reaching us. Our guides will be happy to tell you more!

Read more under the topics to the left.

You can also find information about our museum in the Cold War Portal of the Berlin Center for Cold War Studies.

The exhibitions for the season 2024 give you a lot of new answers about this outstanding period in the history of Finland. The main themes:

What happened to the Porkkala base when it was closed in 1956?
Ukraine
The Santa of Degerby - a special project for children
A tour to a Soviet bunker
Västankvarn 1918 - a guided tour

Jevdokia and her family lived in the Porkkala base and here were Jevdokia´s twins Larissa and Svetlana born. But in Svetlanas passport is her place of birth registered as Finland - in Larissa´s passport is her place of birth Leningrad.

The Lotta's hard work

The Lotta Svärd organization for voluntary women during the war had its own section in Degerby. The Lotta's remember the long, cold winters when lots of woolen clothes were needed. They spent several hours in the observation towers and alarmed when an unknown war plane was approaching.