Suomenlinna - Finnish fortress on the island: how to get there and what to do. Sveaborg (Suomenlina) - “The most famous landmark of Helsinki is the sea fortress of Sveaborg. Russian cannons, bastions, grottoes, tunnels and much more" Sveaborg Finland

1. To the Sveaborg fortress (translated from Swedish Sveaborg - Swedish fortress) I went immediately after the short one. Actually, the main point of the program that day was not the city, but a fortress located on islands in the Baltic Sea.

2. While still approaching on the ferry, I saw various buildings of the fortress. Here is a powder magazine, built on an artificial peninsula for safety.

3. A lot of watercraft are concentrated on the islands, because there is no land connection with the city. There are also quite rare hovercraft.

4. Having landed on the shore, I go to explore the coastal strip.

5. From here you have a beautiful view of the center of the Finnish capital. In general, it’s just a stone’s throw away.

6. The islands themselves are entirely stone, rocky, called “Wolf Skerries”.

7. The crevices of the rocks are filled with earth, from which low birch trees and grass with moss grow.

8. It is extremely rare to find sandy coves.

9. The fortress itself was built in the middle of the 18th century on seven islands to protect Helsingfors from the sea.

10. Basically, the fortifications were built from boulders tightly fitted to each other, in places reinforced with brickwork.

11. The main gate of the fortress from the side of the pier is decorated with a turret with a spire and a clock. All this was built in the 1860s by Russian military engineers.

12. In the center of the island there is a Lutheran church with a lighthouse dome. And originally it was orthodox cathedral in the name of Alexander Nevsky, built in 1854 by the famous architect Konstantin Ton, and was very similar to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior designed by him. In the 20th century, the Finns rebuilt the building beyond recognition.

13. The buildings inside the fortifications are entirely brick. In the former arena there is an exhibition of weapons from the Second World War, but on the day of my arrival it was closed.

14. Some buildings were erected on a high stone plinth.

15. At the entrance to the residence of the commandant of the fortress there lies a broken anchor of completely unimaginable size.

16. Nearby is an unusually designed power pole.

17. In total, 900 people live on the islands, and you can find quite ordinary houses here.

18. Crossbars for drying ropes local residents For reliability, they were driven into the stone base of the island.

19. On the island of Pikku Musta (Small Black), under the Russian Empire called Hospital, there is now a naval academy.

20. At the entrance to the academy there is a sculpture symbolizing the country’s coat of arms - a lion in a crown holding a sword in its paw.

21. The Academy is surrounded by the fortifications of the Lilo-Osterswerd fort, on the rampart of which there are anti-aircraft guns from the Second World War.

22. And the coast here is covered by coastal guns.

23. In one of the barracks there is a museum and tourist centre, but, as it turned out, nothing works here in October.

24. In 1808, Finland was conquered by the Russian army. On March 2, the fortress was besieged. After a month of fruitless attempts to take the fortifications, a truce was concluded. They decided that if the Swedish fleet did not come to help by May 4, the fortress would surrender. The fleet did not come to help, the seven thousand strong garrison of the fortress surrendered. Everyone was sent home, taking the word not to participate in hostilities anymore. All artillery and ammunition went to the Russians.

25. The most powerful fortifications of the fortress are located on the island of Susisaari, the former Wolf.

26. The two-meter walls have loopholes for artillery fire on the enemy fleet.

27. Small loopholes were intended for firing from rifles at the enemy who risked taking the fortifications by storm.

28. The most interesting fortifications are in the southern part of the island. They once held the Kustaanmiekka (Sword of Gustav) Strait clearly visible behind them. Although the gap between the islands seems small, huge ferries pass through easily.

29. The local bastions contain dozens of casemates, all of them connected by turns, where you can interestingly wander.

30. Some of the bastions contain ancient cannons that once protected the entrance to Helsinki harbor.

31. Small door in one casemate.

32. Behind it is a long corridor with several turns, called the lost room.

33. The posterns connected the various parts of the fortress with each other.

34. It was possible to move along such corridors without fear of enemy shells and bullets.

35. In the curtain there were storage rooms, where the floor was laid with bricks.

36. Coming out of the casemates, I found myself at the Royal Gate, in front of which lies the pier of the same name. Once upon a time this was the main entrance to the fortress. In front of the gate there is a deep ditch, more like a narrow gap, through which a rising wooden bridge is thrown.

37. At the pier there is a massive ring driven into the rock.

38. From the pier there is a beautiful view of the island of Iso Mustasaari (formerly Komendantsky), where the forced labor colony is located. There, under symbolic protection, people who have committed minor offenses are working on the restoration of the fortress.

39. Not far from the gate you can see the tiny submarine "Vesikko" built in the 1930s. After the war, Finland was prohibited from possessing a submarine fleet, as a result of which the submarine lay abandoned for a long time on one of the islands of Suomenlinna. Now it has been restored and turned into a museum. Unfortunately, there was a lock on the door when I visited.

40. For more than a century, the fortress was part of the Russian Empire. It is not surprising that the Russian command was strengthening the defense of Helsingfors. On the island of Lansi Musta (Western Cherny, formerly Strelkov), the concrete position of the Russian coastal battery has been preserved.

41. Two massive doors lead to the interior of the battery.

45. They are locked with a lock that has become quite rusty.

43. There are traces of small shells on the doors. The fortress took part in hostilities during the First World War.

44. The battery was designed for four cannons, hidden in the gun courtyards behind the parapet. Under a thick layer of concrete there was a gallery to shelter the crew and ammunition. A small cast-iron hatch was provided for feeding shells.

45. Unfortunately, now there is not a single weapon left here, only cast iron supports remain. However, many Russian cannons have been preserved on the islands, which can be seen in one of the following posts.

I visited Sveaborg back in the spring. This is an island near Helsinki that is popular with tourists.

The sea fortress of Suomenlinna (in Swedish - Sveaborg), is located on the territory of a group of islands in the water area Gulf of Finland. This is actually part of the city, and you can get here all year round.

1. How to get there

We drove from the Finnish city of Turku to Helsinki. We get there by train or bus. The first option takes 2 hours, the second - half an hour more (but almost half the price).

There is a ferry from Helsinki to the island, which is one of HSL's public transport options. Departs from Helsinki's Kaupatori market square.

In addition to the HSL ferries, which run all year round (in the summer - every 15-20 minutes), at the Helsinki pier, near the market square, in the summer you can find JT Line water buses, where a ticket will cost 7 euros, and ships of various travel companies that are on the island They moor closer to the fortress and main attractions, plus they conduct excursions.

2. Ticket prices

The ferry ticket costs the same as the bus - 2.90 euros. Valid for a little over an hour from the moment of purchase. They are bought either at the ticket office on the market square, or in special machines (their addresses can be googled “hsl ticket machine map”), or the easiest way is to buy a ticket on the bus (costs 3.20 euros), but this is provided that you will ride it (drivers sell single tickets on the bus, but this will not be possible on trams).

We bought tickets from a machine for the whole day. Each ticket cost us 9 euros. But besides this, we also rode back and forth several times, so it was more profitable for us to take a day ticket. And if you are going purely by ferry to the island and back, then it is better to buy a one-time ticket for 2.90, and at the ticket office on the island buy a return ticket before departure.

Another option is to buy a ticket in the HSL mobile application, then it will cost 5 euros and is valid for 12 hours from the moment of payment, but it is only valid on the ferry; you cannot travel by other transport.

Traveling without a ticket will result in a fine of 80 euros + the cost of the ticket.

3. Preparing for departure, ferry ride

We didn’t know whether there would be cafes on the island, so we stocked up on food in Helsinki. Fortunately, there are supermarkets in the city center where you can buy salads and other snacks. Secondly, I even strongly recommend doing this, since prices in Finnish cafes are far from cheap. If a store-bought salad costs 4 euros, then in a cafe it will cost you at least 10.

By the appointed time, we approached the market square, found the pier where the ferry we needed departed from (there is more than one pier, HSL sails from the one that is closer to the Ferris wheel).

There is also a ticket office nearby. There were already plenty of people gathered, there were many Russian speakers. We were separated from the ferry only by a barrier, which was raised as soon as everyone who had returned from the island got on the ferry.

We were among the first to enter, so we were lucky to get a seat. seat place. No one checked tickets either there or back (by the way, no matter how many times we traveled on Helsinki trams, no one checks tickets there either).

In addition to many people, the ferry carried one or two cars, some of the passengers had bicycles and baby strollers with them.

On the way from Helsinki to Sveaborg we see several small islands. The sea is calm, there is no wind, the ferry is moving quietly, seagulls are flying in the sky. The whole journey takes 15 minutes.

4. Tour of the island, attractions

So, the HSL city ferry took us to the northern harbor, located on the Great Black Island, or Mustasaari. There are five islands in total, they are connected by bridges - we visited the three largest. Small Black Island, where the Naval Academy is located, and Western Black Island lie off the tourist route.

The fortress has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 - and yet the island is still inhabited to this day. About 800 people live here, the houses are mostly one- and two-story.

About a third of the residents work here, the rest have to go to work, and even more so for shopping, in Helsinki - apart from museums, cafes and souvenir shops, there is practically no infrastructure as such on the island.

Coming ashore, we saw a long old building in front of us:

Previously, there were coastal barracks here, and now there is a local information center. In its lobby you can take a free map of the island in one of eight languages, including Russian, and there is also a toilet here. All toilets, including those accessible for the disabled, are marked on the map, which is very convenient.

Exactly the same map, on English language, can also be downloaded on the fortress website in PDF format - as in printed version, the “main route” is indicated there - a line following which you can bypass the main local monuments. The length of the route is about 1.5 km and it is quite suitable for children and pensioners - we met a lot of both of them along the way.

Island map:

Leaving the information center, we go south through the arch - and literally 200 meters in front of us is the first object, noticeable from afar, on the way to the island.

This is the Suomenlinna Church, built in the 19th century - then the fortress was under Russian rule, and the church was Orthodox, intended for the military garrison located here. After Finland gained independence, the church was converted into Lutheran.

The church stands on a hill and is visible from afar for a reason - in addition to its direct purpose, it was and still remains a lighthouse for ships.

We saw a sign on the door indicating service times and asking tourists to refrain from visiting during these hours. The church is surrounded by a massive fence made of anchor chains and artillery pieces from the 18th century.

From the church we continued along the road deeper into the island, past residential areas and the library building. Having deviated slightly from the route, we came to east coast islands - there is another boat pier, not far from it is the Toy Museum. From there we returned to the trail and it led us to the bridge to Wolf Island, Susisaari.

Directly in front of the bridge is the Suomenlinna Museum building, where you can book a tour of the island and buy souvenirs.

Between the two islands is a narrow harbor called Artillery - this is where some of the tourist ships arrive.

On the other side there is a summer kiosk where they sell coffee, sweets and good ice cream.

The central part of the fortress begins immediately behind the bridge to Wolf Island.

Turning right at the signposted fork, we climbed up the path to the fortress wall and passed through the arch of the Hopken bastion.

Here you can linger and examine the premises of the casemates - a narrow corridor running inside the fortress wall, with narrow defensive windows. Every now and then there are inscriptions on the walls, including in Russian.

Leaving the casemate, we find ourselves in the courtyard. Here is another local monument, the grave of Augustin Ehrensvärd, the founder of the fortress, under whose leadership its construction was carried out.

The tombstone is decorated with a sculpture depicting a boat. Nearby there is a museum in his memory, surrounded by a cozy shady square with old spreading trees.

A short walk from the courtyard - Observation deck, overlooking one of the oldest dry docks in the world, founded by the Swedes shortly after the construction of the fortress began in the 18th century. It still operates now, ships come in for repairs - two hundred years later the island remains faithful to its naval traditions.

Soon a somewhat unexpected landscape appeared in front of us - a pond, overgrown with reeds along the edges, with a flock of ducks. On the map this area is marked as Piper Park; nearby there is a cafe of the same name.

Even further beyond the park, Wolf Island ends, and the trail leads across the isthmus to the next and outermost island called Gustav Sword, Kustaanmiekka. Here is perhaps the most interesting part of the Suomenlinna fortifications: very well-preserved ramparts on which cannons from the 19th century are placed.

A ring of ramparts and cannons protects the island from the west and south. By the way, the cannons are worth examining more carefully - on some you can see inscriptions in Russian. This part of the island has been under fire for years Crimean War, in 1855 - then Russia fought a war not only in the Black Sea, but also here in the Baltic. There are older guns, also Swedish.

Finally, in the southeastern part of the island there are the main fortifications: a ring of bastions founded by the Swedes in the mid-18th century has been preserved here. Some of them are connected to each other by tunnels marked on the map, where even on warm May days it is damp and cold. Having passed inside the ring of bastions, we find ourselves at the final point of the route.

The island left very pleasant memories - not only for its beauty, but also for the way everything was thought out for tourists. In addition to the clear map from the information center, there are numerous signs where the main route is highlighted in a separate color, the same as on the map. There are many toilets, including free ones, and plenty of places where you can rest.

It is worth adding that the fortress has an excellent website - the basic information duplicates the booklet with the map and is available in the same 8 languages, and in English (and Finnish) you can find a whole 3D tour of the entire fortress. Three-dimensional photos are available, both from the ground and from the air - more than 20 panoramas taken by drones, thanks to which you can see Suomenlinna from above.

What immediately comes to mind when we talk about Finland? Of course, Helsinki! What is primarily associated with the city of Helsinki? Of course, the Sveaborg fortress, or, as it is also called, Suomelinna.

The oldest fortress, built back in the days when Finland was part of Sweden, is an integral symbol of the country. It is marked by UNESCO as part of the architectural and cultural heritage and consistently attracts thousands of tourists every month.

The history of the fortress begins in the mid-18th century, in 1748. Built on the Wolf Skerries - nearby islands - it was supposed to protect the city from incursions by enemy troops. The building coped with this task perfectly until 1808, when it was captured by Russian troops after a long battle. From then on, and for the next 110 years, Sveaborg came under Russian control. During the Crimean War, the fortress held back the invasion of Anglo-French troops.

In 1918, Finland became an independent state and Sveaborg received a new name - Suomelinna, which translated from Swedish means “Finnish fortress”. For about half a century, the building belonged to the military and served as a base for artillery, until in 1973 it acquired the status of a museum.

Since 1991, Suomelinna has been included in the list world heritage UNESCO as a valuable architectural and cultural monument.

Sveaborg today: what to see and do

Today Sveaborg is a museum and business card Finland. Both adults and children will find entertainment here; and lovers of architecture and connoisseurs of diverse military equipment, which is available in abundance here. Tourists will also note beautiful nature, and gourmets will find a place with delicious national cuisine in an ancient medieval setting. This fortress has everything, even a working prison, so it makes sense to arrive when it opens to have the whole day to yourself.

Let us briefly list the main museums of Suomelinna:

actually, the Suomelinna Museum. You can carefully examine everything that has remained preserved over the many years of the fortress’s existence in this museum.
Manege military museum, where you can study Finnish military equipment in detail
Ehrensvärd Museum, which, among other things, houses paintings by an artist who lived and worked directly in the fortress
The Vesikko submarine is a must-see - a rare opportunity to see the inside of a real World War II submarine
customs museum, the name of which speaks for itself
and for dessert - a toy museum, which has collected a collection of bears, dolls and other children's games over a period of about two hundred years. If you come to Sveaborg with children, be sure to leave an hour and a half for this museum, especially since there is a very nice cafe next to the museum.

A small caveat: if you take care of purchasing a Helsinki Card in advance, visiting the museums will cost you... Free!

In addition to the museums, the fortress itself is also worthy of attention. Forts, barracks, bastions and ancient fortress walls will not leave you indifferent.

Special attention should be paid to the Great Courtyard with its characteristic distorted perspective of the buildings.
Of interest are the Royal Gates, erected back in 1754 on the site where, according to legend, the King of Sweden stood and watched the construction of the fortress.
The Zander Bastion will amaze with its exhibition of ancient weapons and massiveness.
The docks of Suomellina are the oldest surviving ones in Europe.
Kronverk Ehrensvärd is simply beautiful in itself.

And in case you toured the fortress, visited museums and you still have free time(which is unlikely), or this is not your first time coming to Suomelinna - the fortress offers its guests many interesting activities. Every year, regardless of the season, exhibitions, concerts, and performances are held here. open air, as well as opera performances and even sailing regattas.

Address on the map

The address of Sveaborg Fortress is very simple:

Suomenlinna C74, Helsinki

How to get there

Sveaborg Fortress is located on an island, so if you don't have personal helicopter, there is only one way to get there - by water.

The easiest way - public transport, HCL ferries, which run from Helsinki Market Square at intervals of 40-60 minutes, starting from 6 am to 6 pm.

If you don't like the ferry, use it by water bus JT-line. The cost of one or another type of transport is about 5 euros. Tickets can be purchased both at the advance ticket office and directly on board.

The distance to the Sveaborg fortress from the capital is about two kilometers, so the journey will not be long, no more than fifteen minutes.

Working hours

The Suomelinna Museum opens at 9.45 am and is open until 6 pm. Until about the same time, other museums located on the territory of the fortress were open to visitors - the Toy Museum, the Manege and others. Some of them close at 17.00 or 17.30.

Fortunately, cafes and restaurants are open longer hours, so you can enjoy dinner after visiting the museums. The last catering establishment on the island closes at 23.00.

Official site

If you found that there was not enough information provided in this article, it only provoked you and you want more details; or you still have questions - comprehensive information can be found on the official website of the Sveaborg Fortress (Suomelinna) at www.suomenlinna.fi/ru/. All information on the site is provided, including in Russian, so we recommend studying it if you are planning to visit Helsinki during your next vacation.

Sveaborg Fortress Map

Suomenlinna is one of the most interesting sights of Helsinki, perfect place to take a walk, have lunch and even spend the night. This open-air museum is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Suomenlinna, that is, “Finnish fortress” (or, on the second state language Finland - Sveaborg) is a sea bastion built on several islands in order to protect the entrance to the harbor of the Finnish capital. The first fortress was erected during Swedish rule - in 1748-1772. However, it could not resist the Russian troops - it fell in 1808, and after it the whole of Finland came under the rule of Russian Empire. And much later, in 1855 - during the Crimean War - she was able to repel the Anglo-French squadron. Then the walls were completed and rebuilt, so now we see the “Russian version” of the “Finnish fortress”.

Why go to the island of Suomenlinna

Firstly, an excursion to the island is a pleasant walk along the sea, and, by the way, it will cost less than the 1-2 hour excursions offered on the embankment. From the water you can see (from an unusual angle!) most of the city's attractions.

Secondly, Suomenlinna is beautiful place for walks and picnics good weather. There are a dozen establishments on the territory of the fortress, including even a restaurant-brewery.

Thirdly, to stay inexpensively, a hostel, Hostel Suomenlinna, has been opened on one of the islands.

And finally, those who are interested in history will be interested in walking through the outstanding fortification structure, visiting the preserved forts and bastions, visiting the military and customs museums, as well as on a submarine.

There is also an “open type” men’s prison on the main island of Suomenlinna, preparing prisoners for life in freedom. The prisoners work on the island or travel by " mainland", receive a salary and pay for their maintenance with it.

How to get to Suomenlinna

Very simple! From Market Square(Kauppatori) ferries run to the fortress from 6 am to 2 am - from 2 to 4 times an hour, depending on the day of the week and time of year. Travel time is approximately 20 minutes. Regular city transport tickets are valid on these ferries. That is, if you bought a day pass, you can go to the island using it.

Forgot to do this in advance? No problem! IN information center fortress (it is located in the first building that you see from the pier) there is free wi-fi.

Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) on the map

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The ferry company Moby PSL, which operates the Princess Anastasia ferry on the line St. Petersburg - Helsinki - Tallinn - Stockholm - St. Petersburg, also organizes excursions to the sights of Finland, Estonia and Sweden. One of the most popular is an excursion to the Suomenlinna Fortress near Helsinki.

Advantages of a ferry excursion

Let us remind you that in 2017, the Princess Anastasia ferry underwent a major renovation, choosing an Italian theme for the interior design, content of services and restaurant menus. In 2018, during the off-season, certain changes were also made, in particular, the design of the restaurant was completely changed, and many Italian dishes were added to the menu.

The list of group and individual excursions in the cities to which the ship arrives. This sightseeing tours, which are in special demand, as well as thematic and individual. Important nuance: Tour groups have priority exit from the ferry.

You can purchase excursions in several ways:
— online at stpeterline.com;
— in St. Petersburg at the sales office at the Marine Station (Morskaya Glory Square, 1);
— directly on board the ferry.

Cost of excursion to Suomenlinna Fortress:
Adults: 28 euros
Children from 7 to 12 years old accompanied by adults: 16 euros.

Like ferry tickets, excursions are best purchased in advance.

Sveaborg Fortress (in Swedish), also known as Suomenlinna (in Finnish), which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Some visitors draw parallels between Sveaborg and St. Petersburg. However, the only things they have in common are bastions and casemates.

Founded at the end of the 18th century, the sea fortress of Suomenlinna is much larger, located on several islands, has its own post office, school and, of course, houses for permanent residence. There is even a dry dock on the territory of the fortress, where various vessels, including sailboats, are repaired and simply parked. The houses on the island are mostly private, but the land is state owned. In general, this is an independent district of Helsinki with a population of about 800 people.

The fortress is open to visitors all year round.
— from May 2 to September 30 it is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.;
- from October 1 to April 30 - from 10 to 16 hours.

Entrance to the fortress is free, you only need to pay when visiting museums, of which there are quite a lot:
— Suomenlinna Museum;
— Ehrensvärd Museum (founder and first commandant of the Sveaborg fortress);
— toy museum in Suomenlinna;
— military museum;
- submarine "Vesikko";
— customs museum.

How to get to Suomenlinna

Since the fortress is located on the islands, the only way there is by ferry. Tickets for it can be purchased at retail space Helsinki, at the terminal where small ferries depart to the island.

A single travel pass is convenient because you can use all types of transport, including ferries to the island where the fortress is located. This is a daily travel ticket that is valid on trams, metro, buses, commuter trains Helsinki and by ferry to Suomenlinna. You can also buy it for up to 7 days at R-kioski kiosks, large department stores, ticket machines and HSL service points.

IN summer season ferries run every 15 minutes, starting at 6 am and ending at 02:20 am.

The ferry from Helsinki city center to Suomenlinna has both indoor and outdoor decks. On a fine spring or summer day, you can choose the upper, open deck, which offers wonderful views of the bay and nearby islands. To be fair, it should be noted that it can be quite chilly, so take warm clothes with you. In principle, it should be taken for any sea walks, especially in windy Helsinki.
In the warm salon you can admire the views by the window open water, numerous ice floes and warm up from the stoves located along the inner side of the ferry.

Just twelve minutes after departure, the ferry docks at the pier on the island.

Tour of Suomenlinna

The tour lasts two hours. During this time you manage to go around the entire fortress, get a lot interesting information and also go to a cafe and drink coffee. In the same cafe you can buy souvenirs.

Since you need to walk a lot, including over rough terrain, loose or sports clothes and shoes are preferable. It is a little colder here than in Helsinki, there is more wind. Dress shoes and heels are strictly not recommended, because many of the paths in the fortress are paved with large pebbles. There is an easier route for people with limited mobility. Families with strollers are recommended to use this route.

Let us note that everything on the islands will be very interesting for children: cannons, mortars, casemates and even a small tunnel with stalactites on the roof. But it’s better to go with older children, as they now say 6+.