A fortress across the islands
The Swedish crown began building the fortress in 1748 to defend the eastern part of the realm against Russia. It was designed by Admiral Augustin Ehrensvärd and named Sveaborg — Viapori in Finnish.
It rose across a chain of bare rocky islets at the mouth of Helsinki's harbour: eight islands, six of them fortified, some 80 hectares in all of ramparts, barracks and a naval dockyard.
Ramparts, the King's Gate and the dry dock
Ehrensvärd laid out independent bastion forts across the islands, each supporting the next. The granite ramparts of Kustaanmiekka still face the open sea, and the ceremonial King's Gate was built as the fortress's grand entrance from the water.
At its heart lay one of the world's oldest still-working dry docks, where the archipelago fleet was built and repaired.
From Sveaborg to Suomenlinna
In 1808, during the Finnish War, the fortress surrendered to Russia after a two-month siege — a turning point that drew Finland into the Russian Empire. Under Russian rule it was bombarded by an Anglo-French fleet in the Crimean War of 1855.
When Finland gained independence the fortress passed to the young state, and it was renamed Suomenlinna — “the castle of Finland” — on 12 May 1918. It served the military until 1973, when it passed to civilian administration; in 1991 UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List.
A living island today
Suomenlinna is still a home — around 800 people live on the islands year-round. Its lanes hold museums: the Suomenlinna Museum, the submarine Vesikko, the Ehrensvärd Museum, the military museum's Manege and a toy museum, alongside cafés and studios.
It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, and its ramparts are open to walkers in every season.
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