Monthly Archives: June 2024

Nordic Adventures I: (Almost) Lost and Found in Finland

tourism,

Just because something is old doesn’t mean it can’t find new purpose. Okay, maybe I am also thinking of people (like the recently retired person I am now), but it is true of historic building complexes as well. As we found on our recent adventures to several Nordic countries, Finland has some remarkable examples of adaptive reuse, in these cases from military and industrial complexes to tourist destinations.

On our first full day in Helsinki, our “local guide” (my old friend Carolyn, who knows the city well after living there for many months) pointed out the gray hulk of an island, Suomenlinna, visible from the harbor. After we sampled some reindeer meatballs from one of the food stalls in the lively market, we hopped on a ferry to visit the former fortress.

It’s a short boat ride, but a different world from the city bustle at this UNESCO World Heritage site, which is actually spread over several islands and countless buildings. One is a church which, during Russian occupation, was Eastern Orthodox but morphed into Lutheran in the early 1900s when the Finns took over. It’s now a popular wedding destination, and several well dressed guests headed for just such an occasion got off the boat with us.

After negotiating a somewhat confusing map, we found our along the cobblestones, past the church and to one of several museums on the grounds. The tangled history of the island unfolded through artifacts, videos and fun interactives. After absorbing as much as our still slightly jet lagged minds could, we got back outside to explore more of the islands.

Traversing the Great Courtyard, paying homage to the grant ship-shaped tomb of Augustin Ehrenvard, who is credited with the design of the fortress and other feats, we ventured out to the ramparts to take in the sweeping views of the buildings and the Helsinki harbor.

On our way back to the ferry, throughly worn out by walking only a fraction of the fortress, we stopped to admire the scale of the working dry dock, built in the 1750s and today used to repair wooden sailing ships. Yes, Suomenlinna is not just a tourist attraction, it’s a working shipyard, and also home to about 800 full-time residents.

On the return boat trip, perched at the upper deck to admire the view, it started aggressively drizzling and the wind whipped up. No one (including the well dressed wedding goers returning back to the city) made a run for the sheltered lower decks. This is when Carolyn introduced us to the Finnish concept of sisu, roughly translated as “toughing it out.” (I found this concept applicable while icing down my aching knees that night.)

The next day, we took a bus, train and taxi to another, quite different, complex of repurposed buildings at Fiskars Village. Fiskars may ring a bell as a very popular brand of scissors (the ones with the orange handles). Established as an industrial complex in 1649, today Fiskars has been reimagined as a home to a number of artists workshops, a museum in the old business offices, several nice cafes, and of course a very extensive shop carrying every type of Fiskars products one can imagine. (You can also live there if you want to “join a creative community and settle down in this unique and inspiring village.”)

Not sure if our collective map reading skills are defective or it’s just that Finnish tourist maps in general are hard to decipher, but it took us awhile to get oriented. We finally found sustenance to fortify our visit at one of the cafes (substantial open faced roast vegetable and toasted sandwiches) and set off for the museum.

There, we learned, among other things, that there was quite a struggle by local politicians and officials to get the project of converting Fiskars Village into an artist colony and tourist destination off the ground. Luckily, they succeeded.

Hours later, after locating the blacksmiths and glass blowing shops, admiring the brickwork of the many buildings, tracing the creek that provided water power, poking around in several other artists’ shops, and dodging a thunderstorm, we just barely procured a taxi back to the train station in time to catch our ride back to the city. (Note, visits to Fiskars seem much more geared toward car travel than public transportation.)

Two destinations, two very different histories, one aim to repurpose historic sites and keep heritage alive. Hats off to those who had the sisu to make this possible for visitors from around the world. Here are some images of the two sites with some further explanations.

To get to Suomelinna, you leave downtown Helsinki behind and take a short ferry. Here, a view of the massive Upspenski Greek Orthodox cathedral which is a Helsinki landmark.
Looking back toward Helsinki from the Suomelinna ramparts, you can see it is not far from the city. But still seems a world away.
There are lots of passageways and other crevices of the fortress to explore. But, man, those cobblestones are a killer to walk on!
The memorial to Augustin Ehrensvärd. (He’s apparently not buried here, just memorialized in a grand fashion.)
Not just me, but several visitors to the fortress described these bunker-like buildings as straight out of The Hobbit! Here, a family enjoys the view and a picnic, as do many families during weekends at Suomelinna.
On the observation deck of the dry dock, with church in the background.
One more view of a portion of the fortress with a placid waterway in between.
The most imposing centerpiece of Fiskars Village is this massive building, which now houses shops and a cafe. It served as our shelter when a thunderstorm threatened.
A large part of Fiskars is a bucolic delight, running along a quiet stream. There’s a lovely lake at the top of the hill near the museum as well.
The museum interprets not only the historic products of the ironworks, and the offices, but also the living space of the workers. Loved this embroidered quilt, though the bed doesn’t look too comfortable!
The nice quiet stream gives way to rushing waters in several places that fueled the industry.
View of another building at Fiskars, beautiful brickwork.
There is really no explanation of what this is, but it seems like a perfect place to pose for photos! All in all, two great experiences in Finland thanks to our tour guide, Carolyn!