Parola Tank Museum

Parola Tank Museum, officially Armoured Vehicle Museum and Parola Armour Museum (Finnish Panssarimuseo, Swedish Pansarmuséet) is a military museum located 110 kilometres north of Helsinki in Parola, Hattula, near Hämeenlinna, Finland, a few kilometres from the Finnish Army Armoured Brigade training unit.^[1][2]

Parola Tank Museum

Panssarimuseo
Parola Armoured Vehicle Museum courtyard with the latest extension, Hall 2, on the left.
Location within Finland
Established	18 June 1961 (1961-06-18)
Location	Parola, Finland
Coordinates	61°02′31″N 24°20′39″E
Type	Military museum
Public transit access	Parola
Website	www.panssarimuseo.fi

The Parola Tank Museum is a branch of the Finnish Defence Forces located in Hattula, showcasing the history and equipment of armoured and anti-tank troops. The museum has an extensive collection of tanks, armoured vehicles, anti-tank weapons, and an armoured train from Finland’s independence era. The museum features an anti-tank simulator. It was founded on June 18 in 1961, and it attracts over 30,000 visitors annually.^[2][3]

The museum’s exhibitions include two large heated halls displaying, among other things, tanks and military uniforms. In addition, outside there is an unheated engine hall with tank engines and transmission equipment, as well as a dedicated exhibition area for anti-tank guns. Visitors can also see rare captured tanks, such as Soviet vehicles from the Winter and Continuation Wars. Among the newest exhibits is the Leopard 2A4, which is still in active service. Rare exhibits are an armoured train used in World War II and the only surviving example of the BT-42 assault gun.^[2]

In 2023, the museum displayed the Tiger II, a German heavy tank, which attracted a high number of visitors.^[4]

In addition to exhibitions, the Tank Museum offers various events, such as driving demonstrations and family days, especially during the summer. The site includes a café (Tankkitupa) and a museum shop offering war history-themed souvenirs and literature. The museum’s mission is to preserve Finnish national defence spirit and armoured corps traditions.^[5][2]

The Parola Tank Museum is a well-known and popular attraction, offering a unique opportunity to explore Finland’s military history from the perspective of armoured vehicles.^[2][6][7]

Full list of vehicles

Source:^[8]

• Renault FT
• Vickers-Carden-Loyd
• Vickers 6-ton
• T-26
• T-28
• T-50
• T-60
• T-70
• BT-42
• T-34
• T-34-85
• JSU-152
• KV-1
• KV-1E

• BA-20M
• BA-10
• T-20 Komsomolets
• T-54
• T-55M
• T-72M1
• ZSU-57-2
• BTR-50
• BTR-60
• BTR-80
• BMP-1
• PT-76
• Leopard 2A4
• StuG III Ausf. G

• Panzerkampfwagen IV
• FAMO
• Daimler Ferret
• Sisu armoured car
• Humber "Pig"
• M2 White
• Landsverk Anti II
• M4 Sherman
• Patria AMV
• Patria AMV AMOS
• MT-LB
• Charioteer
• Comet
• Armoured train

Light tanks

• 
  Renault FT light tank (1917)
• 
  Finnish Vickers 6-ton tank with 37mm Bofors gun
• 
  Finnish Vickers 6-ton tank (T-26E). This was upgunned during World War II with a captured Soviet 45 mm gun in a T-26 turret.
• 
  T-26, Ps.163-16
• 
  T-26, Ps.163-33
• 
  Soviet T-50
• 
  Soviet T-60
• 
  Soviet T-70

Medium tanks

• 
  Soviet-made T-28E captured by the Finnish Defence Forces
• 
  Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. J with Finnish roundel 1945-. Imported from Germany during WW2
• 
  Finnish T-54

Heavy tanks

• 
  Finnish T-72M1, Ps 284-202
• 
  Finnish KV-1E

Special tanks

• ZSU-57-2 anti-aircraft gun^[9]

Assault guns

• 
  Finnish BT-42 assault gun, a modification of the Soviet BT-7
• 
  BT-42 from another angle
• 
  Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G

Armoured cars

• 
  Captured Soviet BA-10 in Finnish markings, registered as Ps.27-12
• 
  Captured Soviet BA-20 in Finnish markings, registered as Ps.6-11
• 
  Humber Pig

Infantry fighting vehicles

• 
  BMP-1

Modern vehicles

• 
  XA-360^[10]

See also

• Parola
• Hattula
• The Artillery Museum of Finland
• Military Museum of Finland