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Issues of 2008
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Vacations in Finland!
By 1910s, there were over ten health-resorts in Finland. St. Petersburg residents used to visit those closely located spa resorts to cure rheumatism, alimentary tract diseases, nerves and gynecopathy diseases. As a rule, the Finnish resorts were owned by private companies; some of them, for instance, Naantali, were backed by municipal government. The majority of the resorts belonged to joint-stock companies, including a special syndicate «Finnish Resort Union». The latter was entitled to set standards for existing resorts (for instance, the minimal price for medical treatment was introduced by the Union in 1908). Each resort was headed by a special board of doctors and officials. The medical superintendent carefully treated the patients being their confident and adviser. Notably, Finnish doctors were extremely modest and unpretentious; as a rule, they did not advertise the resorts and honestly told the patients about the possible inconveniences. Nowadays, throughout the summer there are a range of international festivals, markets and performing arts including song and dance. The receding snow and everlasting sunlight also provide an opportunity for an array of outdoor activities. These activities range from golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, kayaking among many others. At Finland’s northernmost point, in the heart of summer, the Sun does not completely set for seventy three consecutive days. Wildlife is abundant in Finland. Bird-watching is popular for those fond of flying fauna, however hunting is also popular. Moose, elk, reindeer and hare are all common game in Finland. The sport is highly regulated and also helps the economy. VILLMANSTRAND Lappeenranta (or Villmanstrand in Swedish) is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about 30 km from the Russian border (about two hundred kilometers from St. Petersburg). It belongs to the province of Southern Finland and the region of South Karelia. With 59,000 inhabitants, Lappeenranta is the eleventh-largest city of Finland. The town was chartered in 1649 by Queen Christina of Sweden, legitimizing the trade at the then popular marketplace of Lapvesi. Lappeenranta is known as a summer city, mostly due to its closeness to the lake Saimaa. In addition, its inland location means that summers tend to be warmer and winters colder than in the shore parts of the country. Lappeenranta is a city renowned for its natural beauty, its happy Karelian character and its good prospects for the future. The lake district of Saimaa gives a distinct flavor to the southern Karelian landscape and life style. The bay area, with its historical fortress and linden trees, is the summer paradise for local residents, welcoming guests and travelers from all over the world. One hundred years ago, there were two good hotels in the city for tourists with average income, where they could live in a relative comfort. Those who could pay a reasonable sum of money accommodated in small cottages in the park. However, the most comfortable and popular place to live and receive medical treatment was a rest house with a splendid view on Saimaa lake, owned by Dr. Buch, Finnish army physician. The spa resort Vilmanstrand could offer guests massage, hydrotherapy and bathing in the lake. The staff of the hydropathical establishment consisted of well¬trained nurses. Moor baths were practiced as well. IMATRA The Vuoksi River was the most important gateway from Finland to the Russian Empire during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. It was the major source for energy (waterfalls of Imatra and Rouhiala) and the transportation route from Lake Saimaa to Lake Ladoga and via the Neva River to St. Petersburg. Among the cities that were built along the river valley the city of Imatra was certainly the most important one. It is located on the banks of the Imatra waterfall, which is the biggest in northern Europe. A wonderful vacation hotel was located in the pine forest near waterfall of Imatra in the extremely picturesque area, providing all the excellent conditions for visitors due to mild climate and developed infrastructure. It is known that well-known Russian philosopher and writer Vladimir Soloviev spent many pleasant days there. In the early 20th century, the resort was highly popular among Russian tourists as they had an opportunity to rest in clean and tidy rooms of the local hotel, walk in pine forests, go fishing and have a good meal in a quite fairish restaurant. The resort was connected with its neighbor cities and towns by a railway (only eight kilometers away), daily shipping traffic to Vilmanstrand was provided. And of course, the main attraction of the resort was very picturesque waterfall Imatra. NAANTALI
Naantali is a city in southwestern Finland, known as one of the most important tourist centers of the country. The small city is located in the region of Finland Proper, 15 kilometres west of Turku. The city encompasses a land area of 51.08 square kilometres. Most of this area is located on the island of Luonnonmaa southwest of the city centre, but the majority of the population lives on the mainland. In fact, most of the island is beautiful forest and farmland, while the mainland consists chiefly of residential areas. This interesting divide between urban and rural is perhaps one reason as to why the city has been named the most popular tourist centre in the country in numerous surveys. Another factor affecting this is the proximity of both Turku, the region’s administrative centre and largest city, and of the archipelago. There are some important points of interest in the city, such as the Moomin World theme park on the island of Kailo. Naantali Spa Hotel, the largest spa in Scandinavia, and the mediaeval convent church of Naantali. The city’s popularity as a tourist venue is highlighted by the fact that the official summer residence of the President of Finland, the Kultaranta estate, is located on Luonnonmaa. Naantali hosts an international music festival every June, and the traditional Sleepyhead Day carnival in July. One of the oldest cities in Finland, Naantali was founded around the mediaeval convent church that still controls its skyline. The charter was signed by King Christopher of Sweden, the then ruler of Finland, in 1443. The convent got trading rights and other privileges, and the town around it began to grow. It also became an important destination for pilgrimage. At the time we are talking about (the turn of 19th and 20th century), the resort located right at the seashore was a favourite place to spend their holydays for St. Petersburg dwellers and even for the residents of the central Russian provinces. The resort boasted careful and well-intentioned attitude of the local Finnish population towards the guests, clean narrow streets of the old town, delicate service in the Kursaal and relatively cheap prices. The local residents often leased their cozy houses and apartments to visitors for summer, and lived in small cottages and country houses. HANKO The city was founded in 1874, soon after the Hanko-HyvinkÄÄ Railroad was inaugurated in 1872. The Imperial Charter for the city was granted by Tsar Alexander II. Hanko was the port of choice for emigrants leaving Finland for a new life in North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A memorial statue, showing birds in flight, commemorates this. The Hanko Peninsula, on which the city is located, is the southernmost tip of continental Finland. The soil is a sandy moraine, and vegetation consists mainly of pine and low shrubs. Hanko is known for its beautiful archipelago. The city has a coastline of approximately 130 kilometers, of which 30 km are sandy beaches. There are also over 90 small islands and islets within the city limits. The skyline of Hanko is dominated by the church and the water tower. In the late 1800s, while Finland was still a Grand Duchy under Russia, Hanko was a popular spa resort for the Russian nobility. Some of the buildings from that period survive, notably the Hanko Casino (which is not a gambling establishment, but a former banquet hall of the spa). It is nowadays a restaurant. Field Marshal C. G. Mannerheim owned a cafe, «NeljÄn Tuulen Tupa» («The House of the Four Winds») which still is very popular among tourists and residents alike. The BengtskÄr lighthouse is the highest one (fifty two meters) in the Nordic countries. It is situated to the south of Hanko. It was built in 1906 and it is the first lighthouse museum in Finland. Hanko was considered the most expensive and posh resort featuring water treatment. The majority of guests were coming from St. Petersburg. According to St. Petersburg¬based newspaper «Peterburgsky Listok» (1900), prices were awfully high in Hanko, despite that Finland was considered the country of quite cheap goods and service. The newspaper noted that traders and householders in Hanko worked only three summer months and lived in abundance the rest of the year. Famous Russian theater director and acting innovator Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky and his family spent two months at the resort in 1906. Despite high prices, the number of vacationers was increasing 700–1000 per summer. Luxurious villas and cottages spread throughout the area, numerous shops and restaurants, baths and rest houses opened their doors for festively dressed pleasure seekers. Indeed, the resort was flourishing; it was the most popular place to go on vacations among the residents of the vast Russian Empire. KEXHOLM Kexholm, now Priozersk (Finnish: K?kisalmi) is a town on the Karelian Isthmus, in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, centered on an island at the southwestern shore of Lake Ladoga, at the estuary of the northern armlet of River Vuoksi. It is served by a station of the St. Petersburg-Kuznechnoye railroad with the same name. The main landmark of Priozersk, Korela Fortress, has historically been the center for the Karelians of the Karelian Isthmus; and from time to time been the northwestern outpost of the realm of the Russians or the eastern outpost of the realm of the Swedes. From the Middle Ages, Priozersk was known as Korela to Russians and KÄkisalmi to Karelians and Finns. The Swedes captured Korela twice: in 1580 for seventeen years and in 1611 for one hundred years. In the Swedish Empire, the fortress was called Keksholm/Kexholm and the whole district became known as the Kexholm County. Russia definitively secured the area during the Great Northern War; the town’s Swedish name was retained, however, as Keksgolm. In 1812, when the Grand Duchy of Finland was formed, Alexander I of Russia incorporated Kexholm with the rest of Old Finland into this puppet state. After gaining independence, Finland eventually was forced to cede KÄkisalmi to the Soviet Union in the Moscow Peace Treaty. During the Continuation War Finland occupied KÄkisalmi and other ceded territories, the Finnish population returned to rebuild the town, but were again evacuated at the close of the WWII. In 1948, KÄkisalmi was renamed to Priozersk and settled with Russians from the Soviet Union, who remain the majority of the local population. The ruined ramparts and towers of the old Korela Fortress are situated on the bank of the Vuoksi, still visible when traveling to the town from St. Petersburg. Nowadays, the town is an excursion resort popular with St. Petersburgers, many of whom have dachas in the vicinity. However, in the early 20th century it was pretty hard to get to Kexholm, as steamships on their way through St. Petersburg, Serdobol and Valaam usually made a stop seven kilometers away from the town. As there were no direct railway to Kexholm, visitors had to go by the Vyborg — Serdobol railroad, alight at Hiitola station and go by horse almost forty kilometers. Thus, due to remoteness from major transportation routes, Kexholm was a calm and peaceful place. There were many parks and gardens in the town. Interestingly, it was prohibited to sell and buy alcoholic beverages in Kexholm. Still, one could take wine, beer or vodka from Vyborg or other neighbor towns and cities. Hydrotherapy was introduced in the town in the late 19th century on the Kalliosaari Island, one of the numerous isles in the Vuoksi estuary. The spa complex could be seen from anywhere in the area due to a tall tower. Therapeutic mud-baths was opened nearby as well as a Kursaal restaurant. There were remains of military fortifications beside the baths. As a rule, there were few vacationers in Kexholm, who rented houses and dachas from the local residents. The majority of the population spoke Finnish. MARIENHAMN
Mariehamn (Maarianhamina in Finnish) is the capital of Aland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Like all of Aland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 91% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language. The town was named after Marie Alexandrovna, the Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. Mariehamn was founded in 1861, around the village of Overnas, in what was at the time part of the municipality of Jomala. The city has since expanded and incorporated more of Jomala territory. The city is located on a peninsula, and has two important harbours, one located on the western shore and one on the eastern shore. The influence of Sweden culture was very strong in Marienhamn a century ago too. Besides, the resort was pretty far from the Russian border, and that is why Russian tourists rarely visited Marienham. However, those who managed to arrive there noted abundance of fresh air and sun, beautiful landscapes and seascapes. The Finns considered the resort the best in their country. HELSINGFORS Helsinki (Helsingfors in Swedish) is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is located in the southern part of Finland on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. Helsinki is small and intimate; lively but not bustling. Its size makes it easy to walk around and cafes, markets, and the nearby islands are its summer delights. Because Helsinki is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea and has many kilometers of coastline, most of its central districts are near the seaside. Helsinki is a very maritime city and is popularly called the daughter of the Baltic. Helsinki’s coastal position makes it ideal to experience in the summertime from one of the many sightseeing ferries leaving from the port of Helsinki. Many of Helsinki’s main attractions are also related to the sea, including the Suomenlinna naval fortress (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and the Seurasaari Island with its parks and open-air museum. Locals often spend sunny days at the Hietaniemi Beach (often simply called Hietsu), Helsinki’s main beach in the district of TÃÃlÃ. As in present days, one hundred years ago Helsingfors attracted numerous Russian vacationers, coming mainly from the former Imperial capital St. Petersburg.
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