The museum is housed in two wooden barracks built in the 1880s for the 6th Sharpshooter Battalion of Mikkeli. Later, the area was also used by units such as the Savo Brigade. Since 1982, these historic buildings have served as the home of the Infantry Museum.

The museum presents the history of infantry, the main branch of the Finnish Defence Forces, from the period of Swedish rule to the present day. Its main exhibition focuses especially on the birth and development of the army of independent Finland, beginning with the Jäger Movement and continuing through the dramatic turning points of the 20th century.

Visitors can explore the Finnish Civil War (1918), the Winter War (1939 to 1940), the Continuation War (1941 to 1944) and the Lapland War (1944 to 1945), through objects, photographs, weapons, uniforms, documents and carefully constructed scale models. These models bring major battles such as Tuulos and Ihantala to life, helping visitors understand how the fighting unfolded on the ground. The renewed exhibitions on the Winter War and the defensive battles of summer 1944 offer vivid insight into the endurance, tactics and experience of Finnish infantry soldiers.

One of the museum’s most important rooms is the Hall of Knights, where all infantrymen awarded the Mannerheim Cross are commemorated. Most recipients of this highest Finnish military decoration served on the front line as infantry soldiers. The museum also presents the generals of the Finnish infantry.

In the second barracks building, changing exhibitions broaden the perspective to themes such as the Civil Guard, soldiers’ homes, peacekeeping, Finnish SS volunteers, barracks life and trench art. For visitors following Finland’s wartime history on the map, the Infantry Museum offers an essential stop: a place where national military history, local garrison heritage and the everyday experience of the foot soldier meet.