102. Regional Travel #1.3 - Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna ("Castle of Finland") - also known as Sveaborg - is an island fortress in the Gulf of Finland, not too far offshore from Helsinki's city center. It was first built by Sweden in 1747 to defend against invasions by the Russian navy. Russia took possession of the fort in 1808. The fort was expanded in subsequent decades but was damaged under heavy bombardment from English and French forces in 1855, during the Crimean War. Finland gained its independence from Russia in 1917, and took control of the fort the following year. It served as a submarine base during the Great Patriotic War and then fell out of military use in the 1960s. It's now a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the main tourist stops in the city, but hundreds of Finns also call it home (apparently there is a huge waiting list for the available apartments).
The ferry ride to Suomenlinna was quick and inexpensive. The boat afforded nice views of Helsinki's central downtown area shortly after pulling away from the dock, as well as several picturesque small islands farther out. Upon our arrival on Suomenlinna, we began our walk around both islands, exploring the buildings, fortifications, and natural landscape of the area.
The main church on the north island is tall enough to serve double-duty as a lighthouse. It was built during Finland's Russian period as an Orthodox church, and was repurposed as an Evangelical Lutheran church in the early 20th century (at which time the turrets and domes distinctive to Russian church architecture were removed). The church is less interesting to look at now, but a better fit for the current congregation.
The fortifications at the southern end of the fort (facing into the Gulf) conceal a series of tunnels, some of which were pitch black and fun to explore. We also climbed the battlements, as well as the hills above the water on the west side of the north island. The dry dock in the middle of the island was fascinating. Originally constructed hundreds of years ago, it's still in use for its original intended purpose.
The fort contains six museums; we decided to spend our time at the main institution, the Suomenlinna Museum. This museum was quite well done: a short movie provided a historical overview of the fort, and numerous artifacts told a more detailed story of the various periods in the fort's history. The most interesting area on the second floor included personal narratives of eight or ten of the island's residents.
The ferry ride to Suomenlinna was quick and inexpensive. The boat afforded nice views of Helsinki's central downtown area shortly after pulling away from the dock, as well as several picturesque small islands farther out. Upon our arrival on Suomenlinna, we began our walk around both islands, exploring the buildings, fortifications, and natural landscape of the area.
The main church on the north island is tall enough to serve double-duty as a lighthouse. It was built during Finland's Russian period as an Orthodox church, and was repurposed as an Evangelical Lutheran church in the early 20th century (at which time the turrets and domes distinctive to Russian church architecture were removed). The church is less interesting to look at now, but a better fit for the current congregation.
The fortifications at the southern end of the fort (facing into the Gulf) conceal a series of tunnels, some of which were pitch black and fun to explore. We also climbed the battlements, as well as the hills above the water on the west side of the north island. The dry dock in the middle of the island was fascinating. Originally constructed hundreds of years ago, it's still in use for its original intended purpose.
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