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Finland
(Suomi)
Sandwiched between Sweden and Russia, Finland has been fought over for centuries by its more powerful neighbors.  Sweden first tried to subjugate Finland in 1155, confirming its rule with a 1249 "crusade".  A treaty between Sweden and the Russian principality of Novgorod in 1323 settled the eastern border of Finland in the region known as Karelia. 
Sweden elevated Finland to the status of duchy in the 16th century, but the Great Northern War (1700-21) cost Sweden much of its eastern territories, and subsequent 18th-century wars further confirmed Russian influence.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Russia wrested control of Finland from Sweden, making it a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire in 1809 and returning Karelia to Finnish rule.  Finnish arms Finland retained many of its privileges under the Russians, including its parliament and the right to use its own language.  The outbreak of revolution in Russia in 1917 brought Finnish independence.
The Finns were forced to give up Karelia yet again after a Soviet invasion in 1939.  Finland consequently joined Nazi Germany in an uneasy alliance against the USSR, which cost it even more territory after the war.  During the Cold War, proximity to the Soviet Union ensured Finnish neutrality, and Finland only joined the European Union in 1995.
Like the Hungarians, the Finns speak a language which originated in the Ural Mountains of Siberia, while Swedish remains Finland's second official language.  The Sami people, herding reindeer in the Lapland region above the Arctic Circle, maintain their own distinct languages and culture.

Helsinki (Helsingfors) UNESCO World Heritage List
Tuomiokirkko (Lutheran cathedral) on Senaatintori (Senate Square) Finland's capital is the largest and most important city in the country. Laura in Senate Square, with a statue of Russian Emperor Alexander II
  Built in 1852 by CL Engel, Tuomiokirkko would look right at home in St. Petersburg, Russia  
  Uspensky (Ascension) Cathedral, on nearby Katajanokka island Still, Helsinki doesn't much resemble its Scandinavian counterparts. Russian Orthodox Uspensky Cathedral features 13 gilded cupolas  
    Iconostasis inside the Uspensky Cathedral    
It is much smaller and more intimate than Stockholm or Copenhagen. It is also a relatively new city, dominated by modern architecture.
Statue of Carl Mannerheim, outside the Kiasma modern art museum Swedish king Gustav I Vasa founded the city — known as Helsingfors — only in 1550. Kolmensepanaukio, outside the Stockmann department store
  Central railroad station, built by the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen in 1904-14  
  The Finnish national theater stands on the Rautatientori   Ateneum national gallery, on the Rautatientori  
Craig managed to catch a nap in the Esplanade park during his first trip to Helsinki The town was relocated to its current site in 1640. Kappeli restaurant, on the Esplanade
  Designed by Ville Valgren in 1908, this mermaid statue has become a symbol of the city  
Gravestone in the Vanhakirkko (Old Church) churchyard Havis Amanda fountain, in the Kauppatori (fish market)
Sokos Hotel Torni, a Helsinki landmark Swedish troops retreating before the Russians destroyed Helsinki in 1713. Art deco facade at the end of Yrjönkatu street
Modern architecture on Mannerheimintie street More modern architecture on Eerikinkatu street
View of Helsinki harbor, with Tuomiokirkko in the background Construction of Suomenlinna (Sveaborg), a massive maritime fortress, began in 1748.
Passing Valkosaari island, on the ferry to Suomenlinna It occupies a cluster of islands in the harbor.
The garrison housed more folks than the town itself. Approaching the main quay of the Suomenlinna fortress
Once considered unconquerable, it surrendered after a short Russian siege in 1808.
Suomenlinna church The Russians made Helsinki the administrative capital of the Grand Duchy in 1812. Military monument outside the Ehrensvärd Museum
  Historical weapons behind the Ehrensvärd Museum  
  Looking across the Varvilahti channel between Susisaari and Iso Mustasaari islands   Vesikko U-boat submarine  
King's Gate, at the southern end of Kustaanmiekka island View from above the King's Gate Coastal Artillery Museum Looking across Varvilahti channel towards the Suomenlinna church
In 1952, Helsinki hosted the Summer Olympics, the first games with Soviet participation.
Craig tours the bunkers at the southern end of the fortress The final act of the Convention on Security and Cooperation in Europe was signed here in 1975. Suomenlinna last came under attack in 1855, during the Crimean War
  World War II-era artillery piece  
Laura with a big gun on wheels Lonely landscape at the southern end of Suomenlinna fortress

Practical Information

Craig made an overnight trip to Helsinki back August 2003 to get a Russian visa.  After another visa trip fell through in March, we finally returned in May 2004.

  • Hotels: We stayed for two nights at the Radison SAS in Espoo, a suburb just west of Helsinki
  • Restaurants: Santa Fe serves some of the worst Mexican food we have ever eaten, but Chico's wasn't so bad
  • Transportation: Helsinki has only one subway line, so we bought a bus pass at the Central Train Station so we could commute out to Espoo — these passes are also valid for the ferry to Suomenlinna, which departs from the fish market

"Party boats" docked along the Aurajoki river

Turku (Åbo)

 View along the riverfront towards the cathedral
  The Best Western Hotel Seaport is housed in a former warehouse near the ferry terminal  
There is some dispute as to exactly how old Finland's oldest city actually is. Some say Eric IX, king of Sweden, founded Åbo — as it was then known — in 1157.
  Main library, across the river from the cathedral   Russian Orthodox church on the Kauppatori (market square)  
Laura in front of the cathedral According to the official tourist bureau, however, the city wasn't founded until 1229. Turku Cathedral is considered Finland's national shrine
  Chapel just inside the entrance to the cathedral  
  Medieval shield hanging inside the cathedral   The cathedral is the "mother church" of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland  
  Details of medieval ceiling murals Whomever you believe, it's clear that Turku has been around for some time. Models of boats are a common sight in Scandinavian churches  
    Tomb of a queen inside the cathedral  

 

  
The cathedral was consecrated in 1258, but was later destroyed by fire in 1857. Construction of the local castle began in 1280, but it too has burned down a couple of times.
Approaching Turku Castle from the west   Walking along the south side of the castle   Inside the bailey, with the shadow of the main castle
Entrance to the main castle   Inside the castle courtyard   Another view of the castle courtyard
Apart from these two buildings, few examples of historical architecture remain.
The Sture Church, dating from the 1480s, catered to castle servants Åbo served as the capital of Finland until 1812, when the Russians elevated Helsinki to that status. Miniature crusaders inside the Sture Church
  Renaissance-era decorations inside the castle   The Castle Church was a banqueting hall until 1706  
  The Nun's Chapel may take its name from Catholic Duchess Katarina Jagellonica   Crucifix in the Nun's Chapel   Pulpit and royal throne inside the Castle Church  

Practical Information

We flew to Turku from Stockholm at the beginning of May 2004, then made our way to Helsinki by train the next afternoon.

  • Hotels: The Best Western Hotel Seaport offers relatively inexpensive accommodations down by the harbor
  • Restaurants: We opted for Chinese food at the Dragon Palace
  • Transportation: Bus #1 runs between the harbor and main square

This page was first published 1 September 2004, and last updated 08 March 2005.