Summer Trip To Fortress Islands

Suomenlinna is fortress complex on four islands just off Helsinki. It is a really nice destination for a day trip on a summer day when the weather is great.

We took a ferry from the South Harbor. The ferry ticket costs the same as tickets in public transport. Hundreds of people live in Suomenlinna. The ferries carry cars and people.

As we left the harbor, I took some pictures of the Sweden ferries.

South Harbor. Helsinki Cathedral is in the background.

A ferry like the one we were on. This one is on its way to the harbor.

A coast guard ship

The district of Katajanokka in the foreground. Those towers in the background are a few kilometers away.

The island of Lonna. That's somebody's summer cabin. Not much privacy when dipping in to the bathing tub on the right.

The entrance of the fortress area by the harbor.

Looks like a residential building.

This one is a residential building as well.

There is a strait between the the northern and the southern main islands.

The northern main island from the southern side

This is the Ehrensvärd museum. Augustin Ehrensvärd (1710-1772) was a Swedish field marshall and the designer of the Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) fortress complex. He was known for treating his men and the workers very well. Ehrensvärd organized a fund for their widows and orphans and aid for those who were wounded in battle or during the construction work. He was a very modest man who give little weight to formalities and rank. During the construction, he'd sometimes sit down for dinner with city officials in clothes dirty from spending the whole day inspecting the construction.

The Swedish crown commenced the construction of Suomenlinna/Sveaborg in 1748.

The flag of the current owner of the fortress

My pizza and beer. Hours of walking require energy!

The restaurant is quite close to the southern edge of the southern main island.

Some sort of a sweet water storage pool?

The city in the north

A heavy Obuhov naval gun

We didn't feel like walking to the southern main island but took a boat from the strait between the islands.

Almost back to the South Harbor in the city. Fish harbor towers in the background.

Almost there.

On our way home I took a quick shot of the Fish Harbor towers.