“Kruunu” a new museum has seen the daylight

By Henrik Kihlman

Most readers of this magazine are dealing in jewellery and watches to some extent. Maybe you are one of those who, during your travels, has an urge to visit jewellery and watch related museums and galleries and would cherish the chance to experience professionally interesting exhibitions dealing with time, watches, or different concepts of jewellery. This is now possible in the brandnew Museum of Horology and Jewellery “KRUUNU” in the city of Espoo in Finland. The only one specially designated for clocks horology and jewellery in Scandinavia.

Museum Director Essi Pullinen.

Photo Henrik Kihlman

HISTORY

The Finnish watch makers school started to collect clocks in 1944. The Finnish Museum of Horology based on the collection was founded by The Finnish Watchmaker´s association in 1959. In the year of 1981 the collection was so big that a foundation was founded to manage the museum. With the large, exquisite collection on hand there was a demand for a public space to exhibit collection. At that time in 1988 the watchmaker´s association had finished their new investment, an office building in which there was included space for a museum, the first official Museum of Horology in Finland. In time the museum found its role among the museums in the city of Espoo and in 2006 the museum was offered to be integrated as one of several museums in the main exhibition center of the city, exhibition centre WeeGee.

NEW CHALLENGES

In resent times there has been a big challenge for small professional museums to develop their concept to survive in the competition. In this situation the watchmakers and jewellers, who at the time didn´t have a museum for exhibiting jewellery, started to create

a vision of a new concept where we could combine these to genres that the public already has paired in their minds since these products generally are sold in the same shops.

DEMANDS

Museums of today play a much different role from the traditional concept of statically displaying old pieces in showcases. The museums operations of today are based on explaining concepts, teaching, arranging workshops adapted to suit and benefit all parts of society. Elderly, children, handicapped, immigrants, students as well as common viewers. To put all this together has been a big challenge but, in the end, our highly qualified staff came up with a concept that felt good and met up with the demands for a modern museum, and the project got a green light to go ahead. Part of the new concept is to exhibit jewellery and horology in changing exhibitions that lasts approximately one to six months. There is no permanent collection shown in the museum but in the future the museum will exhibit its own collections thematically. Another novelty is a virtual collection platform “Holvi” (the vault) where the public can document their jewellery and stories behind it as well as professionals can present their selves and their work. As an extra bonus the new museum was assigned space in a brand-new building in a prime location next to the main museum complex in Espoo.

FINALLY

In March 2022 the new museum named “KRUUNU” (crown) opened its door for the public. The opening exhibitions were an overview of watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva, SUF collection, My World, stories told by the means of jewellery as a collaboration between disabled and jewellery artists and the 50 years artist anniversary of a Finnish jewellery, leather, and craftsman Harri Syrjänen. The premises also allows for some pop-up exhibitions.

We are proud to announce that in the fall of 2022 we will have the honour to present the jewellery of Finland´s maybe most famous jewellery designer Professor Björn Weckstöm. This unique exhibition will certainly be worth a trip to Finland for all jewellery enthusiasts.

As the museum has opened there are still challenges to face. The museum

My World exhibition. Photo Henrik Kihlman

Stepan Sarpaneva SUF exhibition. Photo Henrik Kihlman

as, due to the history of the Museum of Horology has a big collection of clocks and horological equipment. Now is the time to start collecting jewellery and jewellery making equipment. Our aim is to acquire a comprehensive collection Finnish 20th century jewellery.

Even though the focus of the museum is on Finnish 20th century production the museum will be open for international cooperation regarding exhibitions and events and we look forward to collaborating with colleagues from the international clock- and jewellery community.

A HUB FOR KNOWLEDGE AND COMMUNICATION

As this new museum is the only designated clock- and jewellery museum in Scandinavia we feel that it will have a big impact in educating the public about the world on watches and jewellery and will as such serve as a huge marketing platform for the business, we are working in. It will hopefully also be a center for conducting research in both respective fields as it hosts a large library available to scientists and serve as a knowledge hub and “home address” for both the watchmaker´s and goldsmiths associations. ■