For the Finland 100 Jubilee Year, the Rotary Club of Ekenäs lent a helping hand to the War Historical Association of Western Uusimaa in renovating the Hanko Front Museum. The Hanko Front Museum is much more than a traditional museum, as it is located in the exact spot where the front line was in Hankoniemi during the Finnish Continuation War. The aim was to preserve awareness of what happened on the Hanko front for future generations. The museum has been operating in the same location ever since 1981, and it receives about 20.000 visitors per year.
The Rotary Club raised approximately 140.000 euros for the project from about one hundred companies and communities. From mostly local businesses, about 100.000 euros was collected through supply and service acquisitions. The Rotary Club of Karis also renovated and repaired the Irma bunker to good condition, raising about 30.000 euros for this purpose. A lot of volunteer effort was put into this project, such as demolition, painting, and technical design work.
Also, a play based on a novel by Väinö Linna was performed in Finnish and Swedish, on the open-air theatre stage specially constructed in the museum area. The Rotary Club of Ekenäs participated in organising one performance in Finnish and one in Swedish by selling about 350 tickets. The proceeds were donated to the Hanko Front Museum.
An exhibition related to the Hanko front was set up in the renovated museum. The renewed museum had a festive opening on the Flag Day of the Finnish Defence Forces on June 6th, 2017.
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