​​Salpa Line Museum​

The 1200km long Salpa Line is one of the strongest and best-preserved World War II defensive lines in Europe. Built along the eastern border between 1940 to 41 and 1944, it was named the Salpa of Finland by Marshal Mannerheim in the summer of 1944.

The Salpa fort, or Salpa Line, is the largest single construction project in independent Finland. A maximum of 35000 men, 2000 soldiers and a large number of field troops worked on it at any one time. The Salpa Line never saw action, however its very existence hastened the armistice in the autumn of 1944, thus helping to ensure Finland's survival as an independent state. The concrete and stone fortifications of the Salpa Line remain largely intact to this day.

For a long time, the Salpa Line was a secret military objective, the true scale of which was known to few. Today, it is a national monument of historical value, around which a diverse range of historical and nature tourism has been developed. Miehikkälä and the Salpa Line Museum are located in the centre of the most heavily fortified main station of the Salpa Line. The Salpa Line museum presents the construction of the Salpa Line and its builders. The museum features reinforced concrete dugouts, trenches and other fortification structures that illustrate the scale and significance of the defence station.

The Salpa Line Museum is a history and nature experience with its mysterious mazes of forts to explore. In the outdoor museum area and in the indoor exhibitions, you can learn about the construction of the Salpa Line and the everyday life of the fort keepers through photographs, objects and authentic forts.

You can experience the museum independently, on a guided tour or with an audio guide. There is also a Museum Café, and bicycles can be rented from the museum. The museum area is also bordered by the approximately 50-kilometre-long, easily accessible Salpapolku hiking trail, which progresses through the landscapes of Miehikkälä and Virolahti, following the course of the Salpa Line.