Finland Builds Crisis Plans for Cultural Heritage

The Finnish Heritage Agency, Museovirasto, announced the project on October 30, 2026. Regional museums in Satakunta, Central Finland and North Savo will help develop procedures intended for use across the country.

The initiative addresses a practical preparedness gap. According to the agency, regional arrangements for protecting cultural property remain partly fragmented, despite national and international obligations to safeguard it.

Rescue services, parishes, voluntary organizations and other organizations working with cultural heritage will participate. Together, they will identify risks, plan preventive measures and establish how different actors should cooperate during emergencies.

Testing responsibilities through exercises

Regional workshops and practical exercises will examine who is responsible for protecting cultural property and how the response should work. The intended results include tested procedures, local cooperation networks and concrete protection plans.

The agency identifies extreme weather associated with climate change, Finland’s changing security environment and other complex crises as challenges facing cultural heritage protection.

Pirjo Hamari, development director at the Finnish Heritage Agency, said cultural heritage helps sustain a sense of continuity and confidence in the future during crises. She described preparedness as a way to strengthen the sector’s ability to respond to disruption.

The project receives partial funding from Sitra, a Finnish fund supporting work on trust and societal security. Its funding program seeks to strengthen psychological resilience during prolonged uncertainty.

The completed model is scheduled for publication for the wider museum sector when the project ends in 2027.