Näsilinna: A Neo-Baroque Palace and Museum in Tampere
Site at a Glance
- Country
- Finland
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page7 sections
History
Näsilinna is a palace on Näsikallio in Tampere, Finland, commissioned by Peter von Nottbeck and completed in 1898 in the Neo-Baroque style, a nineteenth-century revival of Baroque forms. Originally named Milavida, it later served as the home of the Häme Museum.
The von Nottbecks and Milavida
Before the palace, Wilhelm von Nottbeck, Peter’s father, completed a wooden villa also called Milavida in 1860. Wilhelm managed Finlayson, Tampere’s cotton mill and industrial enterprise, and the family lived in the villa. After the palace was completed, only the children lived there, for a couple of years, with servants.
Peter’s wife, Olga, died in Baden-Baden in October 1898 while giving birth to twins. About six months later, Peter died following an appendectomy at a Paris hospital. Edvard von Nottbeck, appointed guardian of the children, sold the palace to the City of Tampere in 1905.
The earlier villa also became city property in 1905 and was leased to a merchant, who opened a restaurant and boarding house there in 1906. A fire badly damaged the building in July 1913, and it was later demolished.
The museum and wartime damage
The city renamed the palace Näsilinna and opened the Häme Museum there in 1908. The museum’s first manager, Gabriel Engberg, also lived in the building. It remained the museum’s home until 1997.
During the Finnish Civil War, the 1918 conflict between Red and White forces, Näsilinna housed a Red Cross hospital and served as a Red Guard base. In the Battle of Tampere, the building changed hands three times on April 3 and 4. About 4,000 rounds struck it, causing severe damage. During the Second World War, anti-aircraft forces were stationed there, along with guards responsible for bridges on the Pori railway.
Renewal as the Milavida Museum
From 1998, Näsilinna stood closed for 17 years while awaiting renovation. Work carried out from 2013 to 2015 prepared the palace for the Milavida Museum, which opened there in 2015. Its main exhibition explores the von Nottbeck family and its ownership of Finlayson. Changing exhibitions focus especially on fashion and design, drawing mainly on collections held by Tampere museums and also presenting aspects of Näsilinna, the family, and the Häme Museum.
Past exhibitions have included shoes by Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo, evening dresses by Italian designer Valentino, and printed fabrics by Finnish designer and artist Timo Sarpaneva. In 2018, the museum displayed a crown designed for a prospective King of Finland. Finland had considered becoming a monarchy in 1918, but no king took the throne.
Remains
The palace
The palace has a floor area of 1,192 square metres, with different interior arrangements on its two floors. Renovation restored the first-floor halls to evoke the von Nottbeck family’s original setting. On the second floor, the room arrangement dating from the 1950s was retained for the Milavida Museum’s exhibition spaces.
The earlier villa’s cellar
The wooden Milavida villa stood in Näsipuisto, beside Näsikallio, at the end of present-day Näsijärvenkatu. Its underground cellar has two rooms and an area of 35 square metres. The entrance is ornamented with red brick, and the cellar was restored in 2016.
