The Land of Forestfulness
In Finland, the forest is present everywhere. It is our most important and diverse natural environment and resource. Here, the forest has always had a strong impact on people, communities and society – and we, in turn, on the forest. The forest has been simultaneously a lifeblood, an important place and a shared mental landscape. Forest culture consists of shared perceptions, meanings, practices, and ways related to the forest – multi-dimensional human-forest relationships. Forest culture lives on and evolves over time. It is precisely the change that makes it vibrant.
The Land of Forestfulness
The Land of Forestfulness sheds light on the forest and forest culture from six perspectives. Forest nature highlights the forest as a complex ecosystem that functions without people. Green gold examines the forest as a raw material reserve for humans. Lifeblood tells the story of the mental well-being and health that the forest provides to people, without forgetting its economic value or the well-being of the forests themselves. Forest folk describes the significance of the forest in shaping Finnishness and identity. Valued forest initiates a discussion on values. What does the forest mean to us and other species? Forest work reveals the forest-related work, forestry professions and forestry.
Welcome to the world of Finnish forest culture.
Photos of Lusto´s exhibitions
Explore Lusto with our guide Maria
Special exhibitions
Simply Play – Wooden toys and forest games
Lusto’s main special exhibition of 2026 is an interactive, multi-generational experience that brings together nostalgic wooden toys, forest play and the evolving childhood. The exhibition provides a space to reminisce, share stories and, above all, play together.
The exhibition invites children, families, grandparents, and the young at heart into a world of play, memories and the forest. It offers fresh perspectives on childhood and how it has changed over time, prompting us to consider what the toys and play culture of different eras reveal about us.
The exhibition’s grand opening, Children’s Saturday, takes place on 9 May.
Exhibition at Lusto 9.5.2026-19.3.2028.
Upcoming Special exhibitions
Black and Green Gold – A story of oil, forests and Finns
What do oil and the forest have in common? What impacts have they had on each other, the work and lives of Finnish people, and the landscape of Finland? Join us on a journey to Lusto’s Land of Forestfulness and experience a fresh and unexpected perspective.
The Black and Green Gold exhibition is integrated in sections of Lusto’s core exhibition. Each section is accompanied by a theme-specific addition that explores the relationship between forests and oil. A section displayed in Gallery Lusto summarises the themes and examines them in greater depth.The exhibition is about two connected resources: forests and oil. Both are valuable and engender a mixture of feelings. ‘Black gold’ is an epithet for crude oil that references its colour and value. Similarly, forests, Finland’s most valuable natural resource, have long been referred to as ‘green gold’. The exhibition explores the significance of forests and oil to Finnish history, identity and daily life from six perspectives. Through objects, texts, visual elements and interactive content, it reveals how these natural resources have shaped one another as well as our society and landscape.
The Black and Green Gold exhibition is part of the international PITCH research project, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.
Exhibition at Lusto 9.10.2026-31.8.2027.
Guided tours
Our guided exhibition tours help you to immerse yourself in Lusto’s exhibitions and the fascinating world of forest stories.
Lusto events
Lusto events and work demonstrations explain man’s relationship with the forest and the environment to visitors. Events that focus on all things related to forests offer visitors interested in forest culture an opportunity to spend time together while learning new skills.