Sara Hildénin taidemuseo

Sauna is closed

The Sara Hildén Art Museum, opened in 1979, is a museum maintained by the City of Tampere, whose changing exhibitions focus on international modernism and contemporary art. The museum administers the collection of the Sara Hildén Foundation. Dating from the late 19th century, the lakeside sauna is the oldest building in Särkänniemi. The sauna was part of the villa of J. Kupiainen, the cashier of the brewery, which stood on the Onkiniemi cliff. The sauna has not been in use since the 1990s, after the city banned its use due to the lack of treatment for sauna waste water. The real reason was probably that bathers visible from Näsinneula did not fit the amusement park's image. The sauna has been renovated without respect for the old, and the city has emptied the premises of everything movable, including the benches, the stove and the shower. Ice has crushed the concrete steps leading into the water. Now the premises, in good condition, stand unused and out of place. A big piece of history and tradition worth protecting has been lost for good.