Suomenlinna - Sea Fortress

We headed off just after 9 this morning to catch a ferry across to the island of Suomenlinna. Suomenlinna was founded in 1748 on a cluster of islands off the coast of Helsinki. A UNESCO Heritage site, Suomenlinna, the “fortress of Finland”, was built by the Swedes in the mid-18th century and it comprises of a number of car-free islands joined by bridges. On landing at Suomenlinna’s main quay you immediately see the pink Rantakasarmi (Jetty Barack’s) - these are from when the Russians occupied the island and are well preserved. There were guided tours, but we decided to do our own thing at our own pace - not really into large group tours if I can avoid them! We came across a large church, Suomenlinna Kirkko, which was built by the Russians in 1854, and was a Russian Orthodox place of worship until the 1920’s when it became Lutheran. It had a very stark and simple interior which I really liked. It is also one of the few churches in the world to double as a lighthouse - originally the beacon was gaslight but it is now electric and it is still in use. There are 800 residents currently living on Suomenlinna, and as we walked around we could see that many of the fortifications and old garrison buildings have been restored and converted into residential properties, Studios and offices, meeting and event facilities, restaurants and museums.

We wandered around the island towards Kings Gate, and on the way we were able to enter the walls - which are 10 metres thick - in a number of places. We passed through the Great Courtyard that was designed by Augustin Ehrensvärd and completed in the 1760’s, and which served as the main square. It was badly damaged in the Crimean war in 1855, and the tomb of Ehrensvärd can be found in the square. There are cannons/guns still in place around the island, especially at Kustaanmiekka, which served as a reminder of the Russian occupation in the 19th century. There are also bunkers scattered around this area.

We made it to King’s Gate, which is said to be the iconic symbol of Suomenlinna. It was built between 1753 and 1754 as a ceremonial gateway to the fortress. The gate is built on the site where a ship carrying King Adolf Frederick of Sweden was anchored while he inspected the construction of the fortress in 1752.Read more