Humppila brings together several distinctly different reasons to visit: a preserved narrow-gauge railway, ceramics and art venues, a local history museum, blacksmithing and disc golf. When choosing what to see, the visiting conditions are just as important as the themes: train rides run on summer Sundays, the local history museum has seasonal opening hours, and demonstrations at Taidetakomo are arranged for groups by appointment. You can first choose a suitable date and then decide which interests you most.
Railway heritage and museum collection
The Jokioisten Museorautatie is a preserved 14-kilometre narrow-gauge railway that runs through the municipalities of Jokioinen and Humppila. It preserves the heritage of the Jokioinen Railway, which opened in 1898. Museum trains run on the Jokioinen–Minkiö–Humppila route on summer Sundays according to a timetable. Summer Sundays therefore provide a specific guide for choosing your dates; check the timetable before travelling.
Pekka Leino’s local history museum displays ceramics by Kupittaan Savi, products by Arabia, as well as dolls and toys. It also features items related to coffee, tobacco, the military and rural traditions. The range of themes makes the collection varied and gives a museum visit a different focus from looking at individual artists or craft demonstrations. The local history museum is open from early June to the end of September, Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 16:00. Check the seasonal opening hours before you travel.
Ceramics, art and crafts
Ateljé Heljä served as a studio and exhibition space for the sale of works by ceramic artists and professors Heljä Liukko-Sundström and Olli Vasa. It opened in 2005 and welcomed many visitors and groups. Compared with the local history museum, the focus here is on the two artists and their work, while the museum features items from a range of subject areas. This brings together two different connections to ceramics: ceramics by Kupittaan Savi displayed in the museum, and the former studio and exhibition activities of Liukko-Sundström and Vasa.
The ITU Art Magazine is an exhibition and course venue in a former granary on the Urpola estate. Its exhibition rooms span all three floors. Art and courses are the focus here; the three floors are also a distinctive feature of the exhibition spaces. Visitors comparing the themes of a trip to Humppila will find different emphases: a collection, artists’ work, or an exhibition and course venue.
Talvinen is a workers’ house dating from around the turn of the century, with its original appearance preserved. It adds a piece of architectural history to the art and collection themes. At Taidetakomo T. Wirman, the focus is instead on blacksmithing and trying it out for yourself: groups can watch demonstrations by a master blacksmith and try their hand at forging by appointment. Advance booking is part of planning a group visit.
Disc golf and different interests
Humppila’s disc golf course, completed in 2021, is set in a hilly moraine landscape and follows a fitness trail. Some sections have significant changes in elevation. The terrain clearly distinguishes this activity from museums, art and crafts. If you are considering including the course in your plans, you can take the elevation changes into account when choosing an outdoor activity without treating them as an indication of its level of difficulty.
For planning your dates, the museum railway’s summer Sundays and the local history museum’s seasonal opening hours provide specific guidance. Blacksmithing demonstrations, by contrast, are available to groups by appointment. When planning, start with the dates relevant to your trip, then choose whether railway history, the collection, art, crafts or the course will be the main focus of your stay.
Discover more destinations: Ypäjä, Hämeenlinna, Hausjärvi, Tyrväntö, Hattula, Janakkala, Tammela, Loppi
For the broader travel overview: Kanta-Häme.
