Museum Centre Vapriikki has already published several virtual exhibitions focusing on the events of the 1918 Finnish Civil War (www.tampere1918.fi/en). As part of the x‑CITE project, this storytelling is now being expanded to highlight the role of Tampere Cathedral in the new virtual exhibition Sanctuary in Wartime: The Tampere Cathedral Refugees of 1918.
During the war, the cathedral served as a refuge for both local residents and people fleeing from nearby rural areas. Approximately 2,000 civilians sought safety within its stone walls during the bombardment of the city and the intense street fighting. Vapriikki’s new virtual exhibition will focus on the experiences and personal stories of these individuals during the Battle of Tampere. With the help of new technologies, these stories will be brought to life in unprecedented ways.
Tampere Cathedral and its surrounding environment have been recreated as a 3D model, and key scenes depicting civilian experiences have been filmed using live actors. These scenes will be integrated into the virtual cathedral, allowing users to explore and experience them immersively. Whenever possible, existing 3D scans of the city of Tampere have been used as a resource for the model. Parts of the exhibition have also been gamified to enhance user engagement.
Filming for the cinematic scenes took place between January and April 2026, with principal photography conducted on three separate occasions in January. Most scenes were filmed on location at Tampere Cathedral, while the Amuri Museum of Workers’ Housing was also used as a filming location. Some outdoor scenes were shot in the nearby municipalities of Valkeakoski and Orivesi. In addition to on-location filming, certain scenes were created in a green screen studio. Altogether, filming took place over eight days.
The script for the virtual exhibition is based on firsthand accounts from refugees, as well as academic research. It focuses particularly on children’s experiences during the two weeks of intense bombardment in Tampere at the end of March and the beginning of April 1918.
Most actors were recruited from amateur theatre groups. Around 25 young performers (aged 10–17) were recruited from Pikkuteatteri in Kangasala, part of the Tampere metropolitan area. Adult roles were performed by senior volunteers from Museum Centre Vapriikki, Vapriikki staff members, colleagues from Tampere University, and friends and family of the production team. During the three days of principal photography, approximately 100 people were involved each day, while on other filming days the crew consisted of 10–20 participants.
Although there was no spoken dialogue during filming, several of the young actors later contributed voice-over performances. In total, 24 voice actors participated in the production. The main Finnish-language narrator, Veera Degerholm, was the only professional actor involved in the voice work. All other Finnish and English voice roles were performed by Vapriikki staff and young amateur actors. Notably, x‑CITE project leader Sebastian Valkama also contributed voice-over performances in both languages.
Costumes and props were sourced from multiple places. Vapriikki’s own collections were used, along with costumes from Pikkuteatteri. The Tampere Workers’ Theatre (TTT) provided access to its wardrobe, while local historical re-enactors supplied additional props such as deactivated rifles and period-appropriate uniforms.
For the sound design of the virtual 3D environment, Vapriikki collaborated with Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK). A student from the Media and Arts department created three distinct soundscapes, which users will experience as they navigate the exhibition.
The 3D model of Tampere Cathedral and its surroundings has now been completed—and it looks excellent. The virtual exhibition is scheduled to go live in August 2026. The Vapriikki team is excited to share this unique and immersive experience with a global audience. The exhibition will be freely accessible at www.tampere1918.fi/en.
You can already watch the teaser trailer here:
https://tampere1918.fi/en/tampere-refugees-of-1918/
Stay tuned! In the coming months, we will publish more stories on the progress of Tampere use cases on our website and LinkedIn page.
