Tuomainengarden, Varanger Museum

About

The Tuomainen Farm is a kven/Norwegian-Finnish Farm that was originally called the Vinikka Farm, named after Johan Petter Vinikkia who built the house in 1851. Vinikka emigrated from Tornedalen in Sweden in 1845 and settled in the outer part of Vadsø called the "Kven town". During the 19th century there was considerable immigration to Vadsø from Finland and Tornedalen in Sweden, the migrants were called ”Kvens” in Norway. Vinikka pledged his farm to H.F. Esbensen before the turn of the century. Over the years Esbensen had many tenants living on the estate. It has been claimed that at one point, the farm was able to accommodate twelve separate tenants living on the farm. In 1918 Karoline and Karl Tuomainen purchased the house. The Tuomainens were fishermen and farmers. They kept sheep, cattle and horses. The last of the Toumainen family living on the farm, testamented it to Vadsø municipality to use as a museum dedicated to the Kven/Finnish heritage and culture in Vadsø.