I had the opportunity during my trip to Helsinki to visit the island of Suomenlinna.
Suomelinna Fortress
Point of history -
Suomenlinna is a fortress dating from the 18th century; its construction started in 1748 when Finland belonged to the Swedish kingdom. It was named Sveaborg by the Swedish king Frederick I.
At first, the fortress was used as a military base in the Swedish maritime war against Russia in 1788.
Then, from 1809, during the Finnish War, the fortress surrendered to the Russian army. For more than 110 years, it was the base of the Russian maritime fleet.
Afterwards, several wars broke out, but it was in 1918, after the Finnish Civil War, that the fortress became part of the Finnish state and was given the name Suomenlinna.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, the fortress was used as a coastal artillery and submarine base.
In 1973, the fortress ceased its military activity and was placed under the authority of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
In 1991 the fortress was listed as a unique monument of war architecture by UNESCO.
I loved visiting this island. I found it amazing because there are still 800 inhabitants living on this island. When you walk around you see houses, restaurants, cafes, a primary school, a supermarket, a church... Like a real village! However, most of the inhabitants have to take the ferry to go to work.
And how do you get there? It's easy, you just have to take the ferry, located on the marketplace Kauppatori, the round trip ticket costs 5 euros and the journey takes about 15 minutes. During this trip you can see a beautiful view of Helsinki.
Suomenlinnan kirkko and its bell
There, I could visit the church which is called Suomenlinnan kirkko. It is one of the oldest churches in Helsinki. Originally it was an orthodox church for the Russian troops and then it became an evangelical Lutheran church during the 1920s. The church bell is the largest in Finland. It weighs 6683 kilos!
I loved walking around the fortress, I could see historical fortifications such as cannons, tunnels, underground shelters. It was impressive. I could also see ships being renovated and the submarine Vesikko. It was used during the Second World War. Today it is a museum.
submarine Vesikko
the underground shelters of the fortress
If you go to Helsinki, I really advise you to make a diversion to this island full of history and culture!
Lisa Iafrate
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