Käyttökelpoinen keskiaika: Historiakulttuuria nykypäivän Ulvilassa ja Raumalla

This article examines the local public history culture(Geschichtskultur) of two towns, Ulvila and Rauma,situated in south-western Finland. Although bothare originally medieval towns, their historical backgroundsare quite different. Ulvila was re-establishedas a town in the year 2000. Rauma, on the otherhand, is widely appreciated for its rich and longurban cultural heritage. The medieval past appearsto be quite useful for these towns. Several localinstitutions such as the municipality, municipal touristagencies, congregations and societies producevarious types of representations of the medievalpast. This article considers web sites, leaflets andmedieval festivities as interpretations of the meaningand importance of the past. For example the age ofthe town and the first town charter are consideredas important pieces of evidence of the special natureof the place. In Ulvila, where the medieval town hastotally disappeared, a connection with the so-calledmedieval heritage is regarded as a central part of thetown’s image. It is obvious that an urban, medievalpast is deemed more valuable than a rural or industrialpast. In this sense, the popular and somehowinnocent use of the medieval past could be seen as“politics of the past”