The Teacup collection

Welcome to the Tea City!

You can explore the tea set collection on weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm in the lower lobby of the City Hall (Kirkkokatu 2). The tea set collection has received over 830 donations!

The Tea Committee established the tea set collection in March 2001 to promote tourism in Haapajärvi. Among the first donors were companies like Arabia, Marimekko, and Zeepra. Since then, the collection has mainly grown through donations from private individuals.

In spring 2017, the collection included over 750 tea sets, including handmade drinking vessels from Namibia, clay disposable cups from India, decorative tea sets from Bhutan, Tibet, Iran, China, Vietnam, and more.

Donations to the collection are still welcomed—when traveling abroad, you can bring back a piece of local culture as a souvenir. We gratefully enrich our collection!

Outside the City Hall’s opening hours, you can explore the collection by appointment, call +358 44 4456 201.

How did it all begin?

In the late 90s, a TV commercial aired in Central Europe showing an expedition struggling in arctic conditions buried under an avalanche. When they emerge from the snow, they find that the iced tea is finally cold enough. According to the ad, the events take place in Haapajärvi, and the temperature is -27 degrees.

As a result of this commercial, Haapajärvi declared itself the official tea city of Finland on December 22, 1999.

The Tea Committee aims to promote international etiquette education by showcasing the tea culture of different countries amid Finland’s pure nature.

During the summer of 2000, an English tea taster visited to discuss the selection of tea varieties.

In the summer of 2001, the Urasenke Tea Art School introduced Japanese tea culture.

In the summer of 2002, the theme was Russian tea on the market square.

In the summer of 2003, English tea culture was presented in the form of a five o’clock tea.

In the summer of 2003, Haapajärvi’s own tea set, designed by Sisko Kankaan, was completed.

In the summer of 2004, Turkish tea culture was showcased.

In the summer of 2005, various herbal tea varieties were introduced and tasted.

In the summer of 2006, Chinese tea culture was presented—with representatives from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, among others.