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.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.