What is Malva?

Malva is a museum of visual arts in Lahti, Finland. Malva unites two museums from Lahti – the Art Museum and the Poster Museum – and brings together their thrilling content and exciting exhibitions under one roof.

Malva and its amazing exhibitions opened on 29th of April 2022 in an old brewery building in the city centre of Lahti.

Malva has roughly 2000 m2 of designated exhibition space. Malva has three grand galleries and multiple smaller galleries. The museum also includes a Makerspace that can be used both as a workshop and an auditorium.

Awards and recognitions received by Malva
2026 The Museum Prize for Environmental Sustainability, European Museum Forum
2025 Museum of the Year 2025, awarded to Lahti Museums by the Finnish Museums Association and ICOM Finland (International Council of Museums, Finnish National Committee)
2024 Aukusti Cultural Award, Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (public vote and expert jury)
2023 Cultural Act of the Year, YLE and Kulta Ry (public vote)
2022 Lahti City Centre Achievement Award, Lahti City (public vote)

Answers to frequently asked questions

  • Malva is a museum of visual arts in Lahti, Finland. Malva unites two museums from Lahti – the Lahti Art Museum and the Poster Museum – and brings together their thrilling content and impressive exhibitions under one roof.

    We are committed to creating an incredible museum at Malski, offering new and exciting experiences of art, posters and design!

  • Malva is located in downtown Lahti, about an hour’s train ride from Helsinki. Malva is part of the Malski Centre that has been built in an old brewery. In addition to the museum, Malski features a variety of restaurants.

  • Treasures from the museum’s own collections will be exhibited on the fifth floor in Roots – Treasures from the Collections exhibition.

    See all the ongoing and upcoming exhibitions here.

  • The name of the new museum, Malva, expresses above all where we are and what we do. The first part of the name includes a central landmark in Lahti, the Mallasjuoma factory property or Malski, where the museum is located. The rest comes from Visual Arts, and reminds of what the museum has to offer.

The Lahti City Museums family includes the Lahti Historical Museum, the Ski Museum, the Radio and TV Museum Mastola, and the Lahti Museum of Visual Arts Malva. Lahti City Museums are part of the City of Lahti.