Suomenlinna Sea Fortress - Helsinki Finland

One of the attractive destination of Finland tourism is Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. It is a cultural heritage site accredited by UNESCO. Construction began in mid 18th century when Finland was part of Sweden.  It encompass the deep history around it. It was built on 8 islands about 4kms long near Helsinki Finland. The original name of this is Sveaborg - Castle of Swedes. The construction of this fortress started on 1748 by Swedish crown against Russian expansionism. During Finnish war (1808), Sweden has surrendered the Fortress to Russia and it remains with Russia until Finnish independence 1918. This was constructed by around 2500 people. Like this it holds many historical significance during Finnish war and Great Northern war. Few timelines about Suomenlinna for your reference.

1748 - Construction of this Sea Fortress
1808 - Sweden surrenders this to Russia.
1809 - Finland became part of Russia during Finnish war.
1855 - Anglo-French troops bombarded this sea fortress and caused some damages to it
1917 - Finland independence.
1918 - Named as Sumomenlinna
1921 - Finnish aircraft factory build aircraft for Finnish Air force.
1991 - it became UNESCO heritage.

Ok, lets come to the present era. It is now one of the famous tourist destination in Finland. To get there, there is a ferry service from Kaupattori(Market Square) to Suomenlinna through out the year. It normally takes 15 to 20 mins to reach Suomenlinna from Market Square. There are around 6 Museums in Suomenlinna.
1. Suomenlinna Museum - History about the fortress and the restoration
2. Ehrensvärd Museum - Many miniatures, weapons, portraits and oil paintings of Suomenlinna during 1750.
3. Submarine Vesikko - a submarine used in the world war 2.
4. Military Museum - Displays the miniatures and weapons used by the Finnish Defence forces.
5. Toy Museum - Collections of toys during different decades starting 19th century.
6. Customs Museum - Showcases the history of customs and smuggling in Finland.

Guided tours are available in 15 different languages. Sights like King's gate, Suomenlinna Church, Courtyard, Dry rock etc are there in this sea fortress. 

For Opening hours and Events, please do visit the below site.https://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/tapahtumat/