Fortress of Suomenlinna, World Heritage Site in Finland

Fortress of Suomenlinna is a star-shaped fortress built in the late 18th century on an island in front of the harbor of Helsinki by the Swedes of that time. The fortress is a highly regarded European military architecture. Suomenlinna means “Suomi’s Citadel,” and Suomi is the Finns’ own name. Remnants of the military fortress, which was one of the most advanced in the world, can still be seen on the island.

Here, in this issue, a World Heritage enthusiast explains why the Fortress of Suomenlinna is a World Heritage Site in an easy-to-understand way. Read this and you will definitely learn more about the Fortress of Suomenlinna!

What is theFortress of Suomenlinna? Explanation including Suomenlinna Island

Finland was ruled by the Kingdom of Sweden as “Sweden-Finland” from the 14th to 18th centuries, and in 1748, a fortress was built on an archipelago near Helsinki to prepare for an invasion from Russia.At that time, it was called “Sveapori (Swedish) Fortress. This was based on the theories of Vauban, a French master builder of fortifications, and the solid fortress continued to defend Helsinki.It is also famous for being the fortress with the largest ridge-head in Northern Europe.

The fortress consists of six islands with 2,000 constructions and a total of 6 km of ramparts; when the Russians took control in the 19th century, they added barracks, sandbars, docks, and other modern fortification facilities, developing it into the form of the fortifications still seen today.

After Finland gained independence in 1917, the fortress was renamed “Suomenlinna’s Fortress of Suomi”. Suomi is the Finns’ own name. After World War II, the fortress declined as a military fortress, and from 1973, the fortress was opened to the public as a civilian facility, including a library, banquet hall, hotel, and restaurant. It is now a famous tourist attraction and a destination for many visitors.

For what reason is the Fortress of Suomenlinna on the World Heritage List?

Fortress of Suomenlinna was evaluated for the following points

Registration Criteria (iv)
Fortress of Suomenlinna is an outstanding example in the history of military architecture.

World Heritage Mania Conclusions and Comments

You may not imagine Fortress of Suomenlinna today because it is a fashionable area that is typical of Scandinavia, but it was actually a fortress with an excellent defense system that is representative of European fortress architecture.

Incidentally, a tea house was set up on a stone wall within Suomenlinna Island by the Urasenke(One of the schools of the Japanese tea ceremony) Finland Association. For some reason, the friendship between Finland and Japan is being secretly deepened at the former military fortress…

*The content here is a study derived from the research of a World Heritage enthusiast.As for the data, interpretation differs depending on the media.