The Kuopio Museum was established in 1907 and it is the third oldest museum in Finland. The Jugend-style building, designed by J. V. Strömberg has been influenced by Finnish castles, such as Olavinlinna and the castle of Vyborg.
There are two museums located in the building: The Kuopio Cultural History Museum and the Natural History Museum. The permanent exhibitions of the Cultural History Museum provide information on the prehistory, settlement, local livelihoods, industry and the ways of life in Northern Savo. The smoke cottage, old-style coffee shop and Savo-style rowing boat tells a story of the area's history and traditions.
The Natural History Museum displays the ecological systems of the nature in Eastern Finland. The main themes are winter and summer. The most popular showroom is the mammoth interior, which shows the nature as it was 22 000 years ago. The botanical and zoological collections belong to the the most important collections in Finland.
House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.