Suomenlinna is a bastion fortress situated on the islands off the coast of Helsinki in Finland.
Its irregular shape and unique history in serving the defence of three sovereign entities, i.e. Sweden, Russia and Finland makes it a top tourist attraction in Finland.
Contruction of Suomenlinna first began in the mid-18th Century when Finland was still part of Sweden.
The fortress was inducted as a Unesco World Heritage site in 1991 for its unique military architecture of its era.
If you get a chance to visit Suomenlinna, you'll need to visit these five attractions:
1) Suomenlinna Church
The Suomenlinna Church was built as a Russian Orthodox garrison church in 1854. As Finland took cotrol of the island in the 1920s, it was converted into a Lutheran place of worship. A lighthouse, serving both air and sea traffic still operates in the steeple.
2) Great Courtyard
Designed by the fortress' founder Augustin Ehrensvard, the Great Courtyad was completed in the 1760s and served as the main square. It was badly damaged in the Crimean War in 1855. The square contains an impressive memorial to Augustin Ehrensvard, the architect of the Suomenlinna fortress.
3) Dry Dock
Suomenlinna's dry dock is one of Europe's oldest operational dry docks. In the 1760s, ships for the Swedish naval fleet were built here, under the supervision of naval architect, F.H. af Chapman. Nowadays the dry dock is used for renovating old sailing boats.
Here's more info about the Dry Dock:
4) Kustaanmiekka
Kustaanmiekka is home to Suomenlinna's original bastion and a late 19th Century Russian defence line, complete with sand enbankments and artillery points. The Kustaanmiekka bastion area provides stunning seascapes all the way to the mainland.
5) King's Gate
The monumental King's Gate is the iconic symbol of Suomenlinna. It was built between 1753 and 1754 as a ceremonial gateway to the fortress. The gate was built on the site where a ship carrying the fortress' founder, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, was anchored while he inspected the construction of the fortress.
Getting to Suomenlinna
The most convenient way to get to Suomenlinna is to take the ferry operated by the Helsinki Region Transport Authority (HSL). The ferry departs from the Market Square (Kauppatori in Finnish) in Helsinki:
The Presidential Palace (right side of pic) overlooks the Kauppatori. Operators set up stalls at the harbour selling local food and handicraft.
A return ticket (adult) from the ticket machine costs 5.00 Euro:
I opted to use the HSL app to purchase tickets using credit card. It's convenient and you don't have to deal with small change which can be a hassle at times. The app is really useful and I recommend you use it if you're visiting Helsinki.
When I was in Helsinki in September 2018, a one-way ticket to Suomenlinna was 2.20 Euro. After checking the current price for this post, I discovered that the price has increased to 2.80 Euro.
No comments:
Post a Comment