Helsinki, Finland
After leaving our mooring late yesterday evening we traversed 214 nautical miles to reach the Finnish capital, Helsinki. This city was founded in the mid-sixteenth century by the then king of Sweden, Gustav I, as a commercial base to attract trade away from the thriving Hanseatic centre of Tallinn lying only sixty miles away on the opposite side of the Baltic Sea in Estonia. However, his plan never really came to fruition. It finally prospered commercially following the Russian takeover of Finland in the early nineteenth century, which saw Helsinki becoming the new capital because of its proximity to St. Petersburg.
The National Geographic Endeavour came alongside at noon and, following lunch, we were taken on a walking exploration of this fine northern Baltic city, which included a visit to the impressive Russian Orthodox Uspensky Cathedral. One of the main highlights was a visit to the colorful and busy open-air market located aptly enough in “Market Square.” Many of the stalls had a wide selection of indigenous craft items for sale including woodcarvings, jewelry, ceramics and knitwear. In addition, vegetables, hot food stalls and fulgent displays of flowers added variety and freshness to the experience.
The greater Helsinki area houses about a fifth of the 5 million people living in Finland and is a modern successful commercial centre which lists engineering, textiles and chemicals among its industries. At three-thirty we boarded a local ferry boat that took us over to the Suomenlinna Fortress, located on a group of granitic low lying islands which strategically dominates the sea approach to the city about a kilometer offshore. In the mid-eighteenth century Sweden wanted to extend its influence and control on this side of the Baltic Sea and so constructed what was to be later regarded as one of the most formidable military defenses in Europe. Work began on the project in 1751 when 7,000 men arrived and were set to quarrying and building. Both working and living conditions were appalling and hundreds died during its construction. Located within the perimeter walls, the fortress had a garrison town with associated barracks and residential complexes and a naval base, which also incorporated gigantic dry docks. Boasting a checkered history, Suomenlinna was included on the World Heritage list in 1991 as a unique monument of military architecture.
After leaving our mooring late yesterday evening we traversed 214 nautical miles to reach the Finnish capital, Helsinki. This city was founded in the mid-sixteenth century by the then king of Sweden, Gustav I, as a commercial base to attract trade away from the thriving Hanseatic centre of Tallinn lying only sixty miles away on the opposite side of the Baltic Sea in Estonia. However, his plan never really came to fruition. It finally prospered commercially following the Russian takeover of Finland in the early nineteenth century, which saw Helsinki becoming the new capital because of its proximity to St. Petersburg.
The National Geographic Endeavour came alongside at noon and, following lunch, we were taken on a walking exploration of this fine northern Baltic city, which included a visit to the impressive Russian Orthodox Uspensky Cathedral. One of the main highlights was a visit to the colorful and busy open-air market located aptly enough in “Market Square.” Many of the stalls had a wide selection of indigenous craft items for sale including woodcarvings, jewelry, ceramics and knitwear. In addition, vegetables, hot food stalls and fulgent displays of flowers added variety and freshness to the experience.
The greater Helsinki area houses about a fifth of the 5 million people living in Finland and is a modern successful commercial centre which lists engineering, textiles and chemicals among its industries. At three-thirty we boarded a local ferry boat that took us over to the Suomenlinna Fortress, located on a group of granitic low lying islands which strategically dominates the sea approach to the city about a kilometer offshore. In the mid-eighteenth century Sweden wanted to extend its influence and control on this side of the Baltic Sea and so constructed what was to be later regarded as one of the most formidable military defenses in Europe. Work began on the project in 1751 when 7,000 men arrived and were set to quarrying and building. Both working and living conditions were appalling and hundreds died during its construction. Located within the perimeter walls, the fortress had a garrison town with associated barracks and residential complexes and a naval base, which also incorporated gigantic dry docks. Boasting a checkered history, Suomenlinna was included on the World Heritage list in 1991 as a unique monument of military architecture.
