Suomenlinna Island

Suomenlinna is Helsinki's island. It had been built in 1748 by Sweden as a protection against Russian expansionism. Before it was called Sveaborg ( "swedish's castle" in swedish)It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular with both tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site.

n addition to the island fortress itself, seafacing fortifications on the mainland would ensure that an enemy would not acquire a beach-head from which to stage attacks. The plan was also to stock munitions for the whole Finnish contingent of the Swedish Army and Royal Swedish Navy there. In the Finnish War the fortress surrendered to Russia on May 3rd 1808, paving the way for the occupation of Finland by Russian forces in 1809.

In the first photo it was when we arrived by ferry in the island.