HELSINKI, FINLAND

                                                    A Bit of History

One of the main attractions in Helsinki, Finland is the mammoth fortress, built in 1748, by the Swedes. It is only a short boat ride to the island  where the fort, Suomenlinna, with its eight kilometer defensive wall  is located.  In 1747, when Finland was part of the Swedish realm, the Diet in Stockholm decided to build a fortress to serve as the main base for the armed forces stationed in Finland. A group of islands close to Helsinki were chosen to be the site of the fortress, which was to be called Sveaborg, the 'Fortress of Sweden. The purpose was to link and fortify several islands so that entry into the city's harbor could be controlled. Built to protect the eastern part of the empire from attack it would  help Sweden counter the ambitions of Russia, who had a principal military base in the Gulf of Finland. Suomenlinna has played a key role in many turning points in Finland’s history. It has been the property of three sovereign states. The majority of its buildings date from the late 18th century, the end of the Swedish era.

After a long attack in 1808, that put much of the city in ruins, the Swedes surrendered to Russia and became a seat of the Russian Grand Duchy.  In 1855, during the Crimean War, Franco-British soldiers bombarded the fortress to no avail.

Reconstruction work and new construction were undertaken. Following Finland's independence in 1918 the name was changed a final time to Suomenlinna, Fortress of Finland. Six kilometers of walls and 190 buildings have been preserved.

Today the island is a favorite excursion destination of Finns. Seven museums are within the complex. There are old bunkers, crumbling fortress walls, and on the south end of the island there are some ancient cannons. The UNESCO site, 1991, is home to the largest maritime museum in the world as well as the Finnish Naval Academy. A scale model of what the area looked like in 1808 is on display. The fort stretches over six islands.

            Some 900 people live in renovated ramparts and barracks that date back to the 18^th century. 17,000 men worked constructing the fort which was estimated to take four years to build, but actually took 44 years to complete! France gave a subsidy of 18 barrels of gold, then the rest of the cost was up to the Swedish government. Finns worked 12-hour days with no pay.

            The fort was manned by educated Swedish soldiers who brought culture and social development to the area. Russians planted trees during their rule. Windmills originally powered the pumps of the dry-dock. A light at the top of the church tower serves as a lighthouse. Originally the church was Russian Orthodox, but after the Russians left it was converted to a Lutheran church. The last executions were in   1918 when there were 68. However, an additional thousand died from starvation and disease.

            All military function of the fort ceased in 1973. A small sandy beach offers swimming and sunning for those so inclined. These types of visits are really not my cup of tea but with its complicated history I found this visit quite interesting. We had plenty of time to see all that we wanted and to visit the museums. It’s pretty much an all day excursion---right in the center of the city.