Käyttökelpoinen keskiaika

Historiakulttuuria nykypäivän Ulvilassa ja Raumalla

Abstract

This article examines the local public history culture
(Geschichtskultur) of two towns, Ulvila and Rauma,
situated in south-western Finland. Although both
are originally medieval towns, their historical backgrounds
are quite different. Ulvila was re-established
as a town in the year 2000. Rauma, on the other
hand, is widely appreciated for its rich and long
urban cultural heritage. The medieval past appears
to be quite useful for these towns. Several local
institutions such as the municipality, municipal tourist
agencies, congregations and societies produce
various types of representations of the medieval
past. This article considers web sites, leaflets and
medieval festivities as interpretations of the meaning
and importance of the past. For example the age of
the town and the first town charter are considered
as important pieces of evidence of the special nature
of the place. In Ulvila, where the medieval town has
totally disappeared, a connection with the so-called
medieval heritage is regarded as a central part of the
town’s image. It is obvious that an urban, medieval
past is deemed more valuable than a rural or industrial
past. In this sense, the popular and somehow
innocent use of the medieval past could be seen as
“politics of the past”.