Sunday 8 September 2013

The Historic Sea Fortress Suomenlinna in Helsinki

The Suomenlinna ferry on its way to the fortress islands.

Situated on a group of islands off Helsinki, Suomenlinna (Sveaborg in Swedish) was built during the Swedish era as a maritime fortress and a base for the Archipelago Fleet. Work on the fortress was begun in the mid-18th century. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Finland’s most popular tourist attractions. Suomenlinna is also a district of the city of Helsinki, with a permanent population of more than 800.

The official Suomenlinna website.


Every time I visit Helsinki, I take the ferry to my favourite location in the city, the historic Suomenlinna (Sveaborg in Swedish, Finland's other official language) sea fortress. Below are some of my pictures from my latest visit, last week:

 This monument marks the tomb of the founder of the fortress, count Augustin
Ehrensvärd. The monument, which was designed by King Gustav III himself,
bears the inscription: "Here lies Count Augustin Ehrensvärd, surrounded by his
work, the Fortress of Sveaborg and the Fleet."













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