The Restoration of the Old Town Hall is Nearing Completion – Exhibition Construction Begins in April
News
The extensive restoration of Rauma Old Town Hall and the construction of a new building in the courtyard are almost complete. The fully renovated museum site and the unique new building will be officially handed over on Tuesday, 31 March 2026. Following the handover, the furnishing of the premises and the construction of the exhibition will begin. The Town Hall will open to the public in October 2026.
– Old Town Hall is a unique part of our city’s cultural heritage – there are only two 18th‑century old town halls in Finland that have been preserved in their original form. Through the restoration, we are ensuring that the building will be preserved well into the future, and it is especially meaningful that the work will be completed in the Old Town Hall’s 250th anniversary year, says Risto Kupari, Museum and Cultural Director.
In the future, the Old Town Hall will house the permanent exhibition of the Rauma Museum as well as a World Heritage Visitor Centre and a museum shop. The new courtyard building will include work and staff facilities, a storage area for the museum shop, and accessible toilet facilities, which can also serve market visitors when needed.
The Old Town Hall Opens More Extensively to the Public
The new spatial solutions make it possible to open the Old Town Hall more widely to visitors. Following the renovation, all areas of the building will be accessible to the public, as office and storage facilities have been relocated to the new courtyard building.
– The new building also includes a small pop‑up space that can be used, for example, for museum education, exhibitions or catering for courtyard events, says architect Minna Linnala.
In the future, the gates to the Old Town Hall courtyard will be kept open during daytime hours, allowing the courtyard to be freely accessible to the public.
The restoration has also improved the building’s safety and accessibility. Fire safety has been enhanced, among other measures, by replacing deteriorated logs in the intermediate floor and the tower. In addition, a new entrance has been constructed on the eastern side of the building, allowing assisted access to the first floor, for example by wheelchair.
Courtyard Works to Be Completed in Spring
Final works in the Old Town Hall courtyard will continue throughout the spring and early summer. Once the ground has melted, stone paving will be installed in the courtyard and a new wooden fence will be built. Plastering of the wall along Isoraastuvankatu will also be completed.
– The courtyard works will be completed by Midsummer. Traffic arrangements in front of the Old Town Hall will remain unchanged until summer, as the area is still needed for storage and workspace during the courtyard works, furnishing and exhibition construction, explains Structural Engineer Mitri Vahamäki.
The principal and architectural design of the restoration has been carried out by Architectural Office Freese & Schulman, and the structural design by Engineering Office Lauri Mehto Oy. The main contractor for the Old Town Hall restoration and new courtyard building project has been Rakennustyöt Ville Kauppi Oy from Eura.
– Traditional building methods and the historical values of the building have been carefully respected during the restoration, ensuring that the Town Hall remains a functional and valuable part of the cityscape also in the future, Linnala says.
Project Timeline
- The needs assessment and project plan for the Old Town Hall restoration were completed in 2021.
- Designers were selected through a competitive process in 2022, and the design phase continued until spring 2024.
- The project implementation was tendered in summer 2024.
- The restoration and construction works began in December 2024 and will be completed in March 2026.
