{"id":9140,"date":"2015-01-06T03:44:42","date_gmt":"2015-01-06T11:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/?p=9140"},"modified":"2025-07-30T00:34:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T07:34:34","slug":"5-reasons-visit-bank-finland-museum-helsinki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tradingheroes.com\/5-reasons-visit-bank-finland-museum-helsinki\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Why You Should Visit The Bank of Finland Museum In Helsinki"},"content":{"rendered":"

When someone mentions a museum about money, it doesn't usually elicit an immediate “Hell yeah, let's do that” response from me.<\/p>\n

Even as a currency trader, it's not something that gets me terribly excited.<\/p>\n

I have visited the Museum of American Finance<\/a> on Wall Street and it was interesting, but it wouldn't be at the top of my list of things to do in the NYC.<\/p>\n

But then again, I was basing my entire opinion of the finance museum genre off of one visit.<\/p>\n

After all, there aren't too many financial museums around. Of course, there are the Wells Fargo Museums<\/a>, but they just seem too much like blatant advertising.<\/p>\n

The finance topic does tend to put people to sleep, so I can see why there aren't too many museums of this type.<\/p>\n

Just try to bring up Forex trading at a party.<\/p>\n

Then watch the eyes glaze over.<\/p>\n

So when I saw the Bank of Finland Museum<\/a> come up on TripAdvisor's recommended places to see<\/a>, I passed it up the first time around.<\/p>\n

But after doing a bit of research and reading this blog post<\/a> by Nomadic Matt, I was sold.<\/p>\n

After visiting the museum, I must admit that it changed my mind as to what a finance museum can be.<\/p>\n

Here are the top five reasons why I recommend visiting the Bank of Finland Museum, the next time you are in Helsinki.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"bank-of-finland\"<\/p>\n

5. Learn the History of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)<\/h2>\n

Before visiting the museum, I understood what the IMF did, at a basic level. But I never took the time to research the history of the organization and what they have actually done.<\/p>\n

There was an informative and easy to read timeline of the IMF on the wall near the entrance that I really enjoyed.<\/p>\n

It wasn't too technical and highlighted the big events in the history of the IMF. Luckily everything in the museum is in Finnish, Swedish and English, so no translator was needed.<\/p>\n

\"imf-70-vuotta\"<\/p>\n

4. It's Free<\/h2>\n

Although I am totally willing to pay for a quality museum, Helsinki is pretty damn expensive in general.<\/p>\n

So any time you can get into somewhere without paying, it is a nice bonus.<\/p>\n

If there was a donation box somewhere, I totally would have donated.<\/p>\n

But if you are traveling on the cheap<\/a>, free admission is a welcome phrase to see on the sign at the door.<\/p>\n

3. Interactive Displays<\/h2>\n

There were several different interactive displays, but my favorite one was a calculator that showed you how much a previous currency would be worth in today's money.<\/p>\n

For example, you could find out how much 500 1901 Finnish markka (FIM) would be worth in 2015 Euros.<\/p>\n

2. Fun Displays<\/h2>\n

Whoever created the displays has a knack for being able to explain monetary concepts in a way that is easy to understand and visually appealing.<\/p>\n

One display that I liked used pressure gauge like dials to show the current and projected rates of inflation in Finland.<\/p>\n

You can see the dials below the fun Nostradamus-esque painting.<\/p>\n

\"duck-nostradamus\"<\/p>\n

I also liked looking at the different types of paper money that Finland has had over the years.<\/p>\n

You really realize how boring US currency has been when you look at the history of some of these other currencies. Some of them really are works of art.<\/p>\n

1. Learn The History of Finland<\/h2>\n

Maybe one of the reasons that the Museum of American Finance wasn't super interesting to me was because it was about, well, American finance.<\/p>\n

Don't get me wrong, it is a fascinating topic.<\/p>\n

But we just don't have very much history to talk about.<\/p>\n

A bunch of guys started trading stocks around a tree and there were a couple of big crashes.<\/p>\n

In contrast, European countries have centuries upon centuries of history and studying their means of exchange is a great lens through which to learn about what was happening in the country during various periods of time.<\/p>\n

I learned a lot about Finland, from their their occupations to the big recession<\/a> of the 1990's.<\/p>\n

Where I am from, Finland never came up in discussions, so I didn't know much about it.<\/p>\n

But by visiting sites like these, I'm slowly learning about the country and it is fascinating.<\/p>\n

Next on my list are the National Museum of Finland and the Helsinki City Museum.<\/p>\n

Bonus Sightseeing Tip: Uspenski Cathedral<\/h2>\n

After your visit to the Bank of Finland Museum, I would highly recommend checking out Uspenski Cathedral<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is just a few minutes walk from the BoF Museum and totally worth the visit.<\/p>\n

I am a huge fan of religious history and architecture, although I'm personally against religion as an institution.<\/p>\n

In the same way that you can trace the history of a civilization through its monetary system, looking at their religious beliefs also gives us a deep glimpse into how their society has evolved.<\/p>\n

In countries where religion plays a significant role in the society, the churches are tremendous.<\/p>\n

I am honestly in awe when I look at some of these churches.<\/p>\n

The most impressive one I have seen in person is the Wavel Cathedral in Poland.<\/p>\n

Although the Uspenski Cathedral is not at that level, it is quite ornate and I enjoyed looking at the architecture and design, both inside and out.<\/p>\n

\"uspenski-outside\"<\/div>\n

While we were visiting, we had the good fortune of being able to observe a wedding.<\/p>\n

I felt bad that the church was open to the public during such a private event, especially since some visitors were pretty rude.<\/p>\n

But I was grateful that we got to see part of the ceremony.<\/p>\n

Unlike most weddings were the guests sit, or sit and stand (and sit and stand, and sit and stand), there were no pews at this wedding and everyone stood.<\/p>\n

There is an unsolved mystery at this church. A valuable icon was stolen in broad daylight in 2007 and has not been recovered yet.<\/p>\n

\"uspenski-church-inside\"<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

So if you are in Helsinki, I would highly recommend checking out the Bank of Finland Museum.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since I am spending an extended period of time in Finland, I am going to be looking for more interesting things to do. One suggestion that I got from Chris Capre<\/a> was to visit the IceHotel<\/a> in Lapland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That looks really cool and is currently at the top of my list.<\/p>\n

Even if you can't visit a foreign country at the moment, I encourage you to get out from behind your screens and explore your local area.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I will bet that there are some really cool things that you never knew existed, right in your neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Ghost tours, brewery\/winery\/distillery tours and oddly themed Meetup groups can be a great place to start.<\/p>\n

The more common scenario is that there are probably some really popular places that you haven't visited yet because you have taken them for granted. I know that is certainly the case with some places in Hawaii, where I am from. So take some time to explore those too.<\/p>\n

If you are traveling slightly longer distances, my Traveling Trader's Gear Guide<\/a> can give you some good ideas on how to pack light and tips on useful gear that you will need on your travels. I've been able to get a good trade since I have been here.<\/p>\n

Hope your trading is going well.<\/p>\n

\n

Closed Sell $GBPUSD<\/a> 1.54773 for +382.1 pips, total for today +382.1 pips << http:\/\/t.co\/D7riiqGj5u<\/a> #thebossfx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hugh Kimura (@TradingHeroes) January 8, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n