Finland Tour - Suomenlinna

 

Suomenlinna is an island fortress built in the eighteenth century. Madara, my sister's daughter who lives in Finland, said that we should go see it. "Uncle, it's a beautiful island," she said. Meanwhile, when I called my friend, Dasaya who lives in Finland , he also said, "Brother, Suomenlinna is fantastic, you should go." I asked him what this 'Leena' or 'Linna' meant. Dasaya said that 'Linna' means fortress, and that there is a fortress on the island. After looking into it, I realized that since the name of the area we were staying in also ended with 'linna', there must have been a fortress near here as well. ( The name Suomenlinna literally means "Castle of Finland" in Finnish, and the Finnish word linna means "castle" or "fortress")

The previous day in Helsinki, our tour guide told a wonderful story. Suomenlinna is a sea fortress consisting of eight islands. The King of Sweden built these fortresses in the eighteenth century (1748) to protect against the Russian Empire. At the beginning of the eighteen hundreds, when the Russians invaded Finland, they realized they could not conquer it because of the Suomenlinna fortresses. Therefore, during the First Finnish War in 1808, they surrounded these islands and captured them after a two-month blockade. After that, Helsinki easily fell into the hands of the Russians. Russia annexed Finland in 1809. They named it the Grand Duchy of Finland and established an autonomous government.

This fortress served as the headquarters for the Russian Baltic Navy during the First World War. Russian troops withdrew in 1917 after Lenin recognized Finland's right to self-determination.

In 1991, Suomenlinna was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

One can travel to the main island of Suomenlinna from Helsinki in half an hour. There is no special charge for this; one can get there by paying the same fare as for a regular bus or tram.

I included pictures in the first slide. However, this picture is being included to show that many of the houses here are of the Russian style. Many houses made of wood in this same style can be seen outside of Moscow in Russia.

The shape of the Russian Orthodox church, built here in the nineteenth century, has been slightly altered and changed to suit the Lutheran faith practiced by the Finns.

Below are the pictures taken by me.  

 

These videos are in my youtube channel

Ajith 31/10/2025

This is from google serach:

The Swedish Era (1748–1808): Building a Defense

• Purpose: The fortress was originally built by the Kingdom of Sweden to protect the region from the expansionist Russian Empire.

• Construction: Work began in 1748 on a cluster of islands off Helsinki. It was an enormous undertaking for the Swedish state in the 18th century.

• Original Name: It was first known by its Swedish name, Sveaborg ("Fortress of Sweden"), or Viapori in Finnish.

• Design: The design was heavily influenced by the French military engineer Vauban and adapted to the rocky islands, resulting in an impressive bastion fortress.

The Russian Era (1808–1918): Conquest and Reinforcement

• Conquest: During the Finnish War (1808–1809), the fortress, despite its formidable reputation, was besieged by Russian forces and surrendered in 1808 after a two-month blockade. This loss quickly led to Russia's annexation of Finland and the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809.

• Military Base: Under Russian rule, the fortress remained a crucial military base, protecting the newly established capital of Helsinki and serving as a base for the Baltic Fleet.

• Damage and Rebuilding: It suffered severe damage from a bombardment by Anglo-French forces during the Crimean War in 1855. The Russians subsequently rebuilt and modernised the defenses, equipping it with more modern artillery.

• World War I: During WWI, it became part of the larger "Peter the Great's Naval Fortress" defensive system, intended to protect the Russian capital, St. Petersburg.

The Finnish Era (1918–Present): Independence and World Heritage

• Independence: After Finland declared independence from Russia in 1917, the newly formed Finnish state took over the fortress in 1918.

• Renaming: It was officially renamed Suomenlinna ("Castle of Finland") to reflect the country's new independent status.

• Changing Role: In the aftermath of the Finnish Civil War, the islands briefly served as a prison camp. It then functioned as a Finnish garrison for decades, playing a role in the defense of Finland during World War II.

• Civilian Transition: The military's presence gradually declined, and in 1973, the fortress was converted for civilian use.