Kasvavan rajaliikenteen hallinnan vaikutuksia ... - Rajavartiolaitos

The Border Museum
a window to a different life
Albertsson has fond memories of this extremely
rewarding time, despite it being far
too short to learn the craft fully.
”The longer you get to work with your
predecessor, the better. I would say it takes
at least three years until you really get to
know the ropes.”
With no formal training under his belt,
Albertsson is entirely self-taught and picked
up his museum skills through his leisure
pursuits. He does not consider his work as
something you can be ”sent” to do. What
you need instead is a sense of vocation and
a passion for the subject.
Bridging the generation gap
The Border Museum attracts visitors of all
ages, ranging from nursery and school children
to war veterans. Indeed, the museum
serves as an excellent bridge between the
generations.
Visitor feedback suggests that one of
the things visitors enjoy most about the
museum is that the tour guide helping
them is an actual serving border guard
rather than a museum professional. The
guide’s role is a crucial one as their expertise
allows the visitor to get much more out
of the visit rather than being left to view a
historical map on their own.
”The best thing about my job is that I
come into contact with all sorts of different
people. I love my work and I would not
change a single thing about it. What makes
it so rewarding is that military history is
one of my main interests. Local history is
particularly close to my heart”, Albertsson
explains.
Albertsson says he is able to ”suss out”
visitors fairly soon after their arrival, which
allows him to tailor his tours accordingly.
He is certainly putting his skills to good use
– the feedback from visitors is purely posi-
tive. Albertsson is equally complimentary:”I
have never had a bad visitor.”
The guilds support the work of the
museum manager. Guild members act as
guides during his annual leave and have
made a significant contribution towards
the development of the museum’s outdoor
area. Reino Rannanvaara in particular has
distinguished himself in this regard.
A few years ago, a field sauna was
completed in the vicinity. The help and
assistance offered by the Guilds has been
invaluable. Albertsson would like to see the
outdoor areas developed further, including
the addition of a proper war-era dugout.
For the city of Imatra, the adjoining
municipalities and the local tourism sector,
the museum is a hugely important visitor
draw. In 2007, the Border Museum was
crowned Museum of the Year. It plays a
hugely important role in preserving the traditions,
both within the Border Guard and
outside it.
An active sort of man
Mika Albertsson has a wife, two teenage
children and a Jack Russell terrier called
Aino. In his free time, Albertsson runs a
team who work to repatriate the bodies
of fallen Finnish soldiers still remaining on
Russian territory. This is a pursuit closest to
his heart and he is particularly determined
to bring back soldiers of the 2nd Border
Guard Jäger Batallion.
So far, his team have been successful
in repatriating more than 200 fallen war
heroes, 20 of whom were members of the
2nd Batallion.
His work in the reserves and his support
for Finland’s war veterans also claim much
of his time. In addition to military history,
he has an interest in vintage cars and bikes
and he is a keen runner. He currently has
RAJAMME VARTIJAT 13
three marathons under his belt. His latest
achievement was the 2012 Stockholm
marathon while his next challenge awaits in
Prague in 2013.
The Border Museum into the
future
Albertsson is concerned about the future of
the Border Museum. He himself will enter
the Reserves in about five years and is keen
to ensure the continuation of his role.
The job description for a museum manager
includes the management of various
written materials, administrative duties,
storage management, curating activities,
guide work and relationship-building with
stakeholder groups.
There is a lot to do, far too much for just
one museum worker. Ideally, Albertsson
says, the Museum would have two members
of staff in future, one to manage the
archive and administrative matters and the
other to curate the exhibitions and provide
the guided tours.
The Border Museum is a groundbreaking
facility and is held in high esteem. However,
museum technology has come on significantly
in the past few years. This has left
the Border Museum somewhat out-of-date
and it also lacks an interactive element.
Albertsson would like to see the entire
Border Museum collection overhauled to
reflect current requirements and to ensure
that the facility continues to be valued as
highly as it is today.
”If the Border Museum is to remain a
Finnish Border Guard calling card and
something for future generations to enjoy,
significant investment is required in the
near future both in terms of technology and
staff”, Albertsson points out.
Text and photo: Marjo Peni