Brief history of Suomenlinna

Fortification work began in 1748 with the lead of Augustin Ehrensvärd. The work took power of thousands of soldiers, prisoners and craftsmen. The fortress was named Sveaborg, but in Finnish the name turned into Viapori.

The construction work of the dry dock began in 1750.

In the 1760s ships for the Swedish Coastal Fleet were built in the dock with the lead of Fredrik Henrik af Chapman.

In 1788 the Russo-Swedish war began, and Viapori served as a naval base.

In 1808 Viapori surrendered to Russia, and it became a Russian naval base.

Under Russian rule, there was a large garrison operating in the fortress. Many military personnel, merchants and officers were permanently living in Viapori.

In 1854 the Orthodox garrison church was completed.

The Crimean War caused the bombardment of Viapori in 1855, and the fortress sustained heavy damage. Viapori was no longer one of the strongest fortresses in Europe.

Fortifications in Viapori were repaired and new large barracks were built.

Finland became independent in 1917, and Russians left the fortress in 1918.

The fortress was officially named Suomenlinna.

During the civil war, a prison camp was set up in Viapori and it operated in 1918-1919.

During the Winter War a submarine fleet, anti-aircraft unit and artillery unit operated in Suomenlinna.

The fortress was opened to the public in 1952.

The Governing Body of Suomenlinna was established in 1973.

In 1974 the Governing Body of Suomenlinna began to do extensive restoration work.

Suomenlinna was added to the Unesco World Heritage list in 1991.

Nowadays Suomenlinna is an active district of Helsinki and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Finland.