Suomenlinna

This morning we caught the ferry at Kauppatori for the 20 min. ride to Suomenlinna. Once a fortified island, the 18th C ramparts, bastions and ravelin are now a World Heritage Site.
Originally built by the Swedes, it was ceded to the Russians in 1809 after the 4th round of the Swedish-Russian wars (1720s, 1740s, 1780s and 1800s) and being reclaimed by Finland in 1918.
The island took a pasting at the hands of the British & French during the Crimean War (1855), and several of the military structures were reduced to rubble. The remaining buildings have been restored and a year-round population of 800 resides in the former support structures.
We spent three hours on the island and that was adequate.
Returning to the mainland we perused the daily open-air market and eateries by the piers, stopping at a Sicilian risto on the Esplanade for a glass of Karhu Lager before trekking home.Read more