My last day in Finland was spent visiting Suomenlinna, Helsinki's sea fortress. Housed on a collection of islands, the buildings represent three distinct eras in the country's history. When Sweden included what is now Finland, the first buildings on Suomenlinna were built in the mid eighteenth century. Sixty years later, Russia won the Finnish War and added to the fort they now occupied. A century later, Finland took back the fort when they declared independence during the Russian Revolution. The fort acted first as a prison and then as a base during WWII before it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list for its storied military history.
The lone surviving submarine of the Finnish navy is now a museum. In WWII, it torpedoed a Russian transport ship but under the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty, Finland was forced to decommission its entire submarine fleet. The others were eventually used for scrap metal.
The bastions were great to explore.
The island's main square features the tomb of Augustin Ehrensvärd, the first commander of Suomenlinna.
The dry docks, among the oldest in the world, are still in use today.
Defensive cannons face the Baltic Sea.
Suomenlinna has a panoramic view of the sea and of Helsinki.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about Finland. The Arctic Circle was cool and I'm willing to reconsider my initial opinion of Helsinki, but it's definitely an expensive country for traveling and the self-contained culture means this isn't a flashy country to visit. Still, I would consider coming back to check out Finland's world famous wife carrying championships!
