Tankavaara is home for the only international museum in the World displaying past and present of gold panning and prospecting. The basic exhibition presents the history of gold prospecting in Lapland. The Golden World, the international section, presents over twenty countries all over the World.
Museum is open every day @10am - 6pm
In wintertime 1.10.-31.5. we are open Mon-Fri @ 10am - 4pm
Welcome!
Gold Panning Lessons
A brief introduction to gold panning for beginners
A Guide gives advice on how to become a practiced user of the gold-making device called the pan. As you feel the weight of the heaviest gold nuggets weighing against your pan, you will hear legendary stories from the diggings. At the end of the lessons, you'll collect your gold haul and leave a slightly wealthier person than when you entered.
The lesson instruction is held in by the museum's outdoor pool in the summer and in the museum's indoor panning pool in the winter.
The program includes: Guidance and necessary equipment and entrance to the gold museum. Any panned gold is yours to keep!
Duration: 45 min. Tour languages: Finnish, English, German and French.
Gold panning lessons are held around the year at the panning-pool of the museum in Finnish and English, and in French and German mainly summertime.
Lifelike stories from the gold diggings
In the golden tour legends come to life. You'll hear stories about Ivalojoki, Lemmenjoki and Tankavaara's gold history and related people. The gold rush of Ivalojoki began in 1868 and it continues to be the last, living, gold-mining tradition in Western Europe.
In the Golden World exhibit, under the world's largest pan, you'll get to know the distinctive features of gold rushes in different countries that changed the course of global history.
The tour will focus on Finnish and international gold history, its stages and
stories.
Duration: 1 hour. Tour Languages: Finnish, English, German and French. Golden Tours are held around the year in Finnish and English, in German and French mainly summer season.
The program includes: A ticket to the museum and a cultural and historic guidance.
Discover the richness of our soil
Lapland's history includes many other soil riches than gold. The diggers have always known the gemstones and other gold companions found there. The Friends of Gold will give you a glimpse into the fascinating world of stones and minerals found in Lapland. During the guided tour, you will find out where gold originates from and how its characteristics can be seen in nature.
During the circuit, you will have the opportunity to find gold and up to fifty
different stones and minerals. How many of them will you manage to snag with
you?
Duration: 1,5 Hours. Tour languages: Finnish, English, German and French. The program is organized in summertime.
The program includes: A ticket to the museum, geological guidance, certificates for minerals found and also a storage box or bag for any found treasure.
A leap back to the gold rush
Students wearing old-fashioned clothes at the goldfield school spend the day in the 19th century. Schedules in their timetables are activities such as local history lessons and writing exercises on a chisel board. The teacher's job is to keep the class under control and adhering until the end of the lesson. Someone had even been sent to the naughty corner!
After the lesson, the class will do the Golden Tour at the museum and try gold
panning in the inside panning pool of the museum. The goldfield school is suitable for young
people, children, and childlike visitors of the museum.
Duration 3 hours. Program languages: Finnish, English. The program is held around the year.
The Goldfield
School includes: old fashioned clothing, a lesson, a tour of the museum and the
gold panning in the museum's indoor panning pool.
Group size maximum 25 -30 people. And please notice there is minimum group size limit in couple of programs. For tours and programs outside the normal hours of operation, an opening fee of 60€ is added Mon-Sat and 80€ Sundays and public holidays.
KULTAMUSEO, Tankavaarantie 11 C, 99695 TANKAVAARA, FINLAND
