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The history of sveaborg fortress
Sveaborg in Swedish (Suomenlinna or Viapori in Finnish), is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands, today within Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular with both tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site. Helsinki was founded in 1550 as a rival to the Hanseatic city of Reval (today: Tallinn, the capital of independent state Estonia) by King Gustav I of Sweden, the town of Helsinki struggled in its infancy. The fledging settlement was plagued by poverty, wars, and diseases. For a long time it remained as a small low-key coastal town, overshadowed by the more thriving trade centers in the Baltic region. The construction of the Sveaborg (In Finnish Viapori, today also Suomenlinna) naval fortress helped improve its status, but it was not until Russia defeated Sweden in the Finnish War and annexed Finland as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809 that Helsinki began to truly change.
 A. Tron. Defenders of Sveaborg Fortress. Watercolour on paper. 1998 [zoom (57k)] Originally named Sveaborg (Fortress of Svea), or Viapori as called by Finns, it was renamed Suomenlinna (Castle of Finland) in 1918 for patriotic and nationalist reasons, though it is still also known by its original name. It is an example of the Star Fort style of fortification. A Star Fort is a fortification in the style that evolved during the «Age of Blackpowder» when cannon came to dominate the battlefield. Passive ring-shaped (enceinte) fortifications of the medieval era proved vulnerable to damage or destruction by cannonfire, when it could be directed from outside against a perpendicular masonry wall. Star fortifications were developed by Filarete in the mid-fifteenth century, employed by Michelangelo in the defensive earthworks of Florence, refined in the sixteenth century by Baldassare Peruzzi and Scamozzi and brought to final statements by Louis XIV’s military engineer, Vauban. In the nineteenth century the development of the exploding shell changed the nature of defensive fortifications. Sweden started building the fortress in 1748 as a protection against Russian expansionism. The general responsibility for the fortification work was given to Augustin EhrensvÄrd. The original plan of the bastion fortress was strongly influenced by the precepts of Vauban, the foremost military engineer of the time. Count Augustin EhrensvÄrd (1710–1772) was a Swedish military architect, a lieutenant colonel in the artillery. In 1747, he was chosen by king Frederick I of Sweden to design and construct the maritime fortress near Helsinki in Finland. Building the fortress of Sveaborg became a life’s work for EhrensvÄrd, who kept expanding the island fortress until his death in 1772. EhrensvÄrd’s design was a low-profile bastion-type fortress that would follow the natural contours of the islands and thus remain inconspicuous to enemy fleets. Many of the constructions in Sveaborg are considered to be architectural masterpieces In 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. Sweden started building the fortress in 1748, when Finland was still a part of the Swedish kingdom. Augustin EhrensvÄrd (1710–1772) and his gigantic fortification work on the islands off the town of Helsinki brought the district a new and unexpected importance. In 1703 Peter the Great had founded his new capital, St. Petersburg, in the furthest¬flung corner of the Gulf of Finland. In the approach to it, he built the fortified naval base of Kronstadt. Russia became a maritime power and a force to be reckoned with in the Baltic Sea. The situation posed a threat to Sweden; Russian naval units made skirmishes right up to the Swedish coast. Other European states were also concerned about developments, especially France, with which Sweden had concluded a military alliance. After lengthy debate, the Swedish parliament decided in 1747 to fortify the Russian frontier and to establish a naval base at Helsinki as a counter to Kronstadt. The frontier fortifications were established at Loviisa (Lovisa). Fortification of Helsinki and its islands began in January 1748, when Augustin EhrensvÄrd, as a young lieutenant colonel, came to direct the operations. A number of fortifications were also built on the Russian side of the new border during the 18th century and some of the existing Swedish ones were added to. Following a pact between Alexander I and Napoleon, Russia launched a campaign against Sweden and occupied Finland in 1808. By the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, Finland was ceded from Sweden and became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. The Swedish period in Finnish history, which had lasted some seven centuries, came to an end. Sveaborg did not fight until the very last end in the hopeless war. The Russians easily took Helsinki in early 1808 and began bombarding the fortress. Its commander, Carl Olof Cronstedt, negotiated a cease¬fire, and when no Swedish reinforcements had arrived by May, Sveaborg, with almost 7,000 men, surrendered. The reasons for Cronstedt’s actions remain somewhat unclear; but the hopeless situation, psychological warfare by the Russians, some (possibly) bribed advisors, fear for the lives of a large civil population, lack of gun¬powder combined with total isolation are some likely causes for the surrender. The long period of peace following the transfer of power was shattered by the Crimean War of 1854–56. The allies decided to engage Russia on two fronts and sent an Anglo-French fleet to the Baltic Sea. For two summers the fleet shelled the towns and fortifications along the Finnish coast. By that time, Sveaborg’s fortifications were strengthened by construction of new batteries and installation of modern canons. The total number of canons reached 565 units, including about two hundred bombing canons, having a shooting range of 1200 sazhens (over 2,5 kilometers). The defense system of the fortress included the battleships «Russia», «Ezekiel», a frigate «Cesarevitch», steamship «Bogatyr», a schooner «Wild boar» and rowing gunboats. The nearby area was covered with mines. Underwater mines were manufactured at the Nobel factory in St. Petersburg. Bombardment of Suomenlinna (then known as Sveaborg or Viapori) lasted 47 hours and the fortress was badly damaged.
 Sveaborg Fortress. Photo. Early XXIth century [zoom (50k)] After the Crimean War, extensive restoration work was begun at Suomenlinna. A new ring of earthworks with artillery emplacements was built at the western and southern edges of the islands. The next stage in the arming of Suomenlinna and the Gulf of Finland came in the build¬up to the World War I. The fortress and its surrounding islands became part of «Peter the Great’s naval fortification» designed to safeguard the capital, St. Petersburg. No longer very practical as a military base, Suomenlinna was turned over to civilian administration in 1973. An independent government department was formed to administer the unique complex. At the time, there was some debate over its Finnish name, with some suggesting that the old name Viapori be restored, but the newer name was retained. The military is still present on the islands, as part of the local community. Suomenlinna also still flies the war flag, or the swallow-tailed state flag of Finland. Suomenlinna is now one of the greatest tourist attractions in Helsinki as well as a popular picnicking spot for the city’s inhabitants, and on a sunny summer day the islands, and in particular the ferries, can get quite crowded. A number of museums exist on the island, as well as the last surviving Finnish submarine Vesikko. Suomenlinna has always been much more than just a part of Helsinki — it is a town within the town. Nowadays there are about 900 permanent inhabitants on the islands, and 350 people work there all year round. The Naval Academy of Finland is located on one of the islands. This is one of the features that make Suomenlinna unique: the fortress is not merely a museum. There is a minimum-security prison in Suomenlinna, whose inmates work on the maintenance and reconstruction of the fortifications. For the general public Suomenlinna is served by ferries all year around, but a service tunnel supplying heating, water and electricity was built in the seventies. It can also be used for emergency transports. The Suomenlinna Kuninkaanportti («King’s gate») entrance gateway, bearing a plaque with Augustin Ehrensvlrd’s famous quote «Eftervlrld, sta hÄr pa egen botn och lita icke pa frÄmmande hielp» («Progeny, stand here on your own foundation and do not rely on foreign help»), was Erik Bruun’s illustration motive for the 1000 Finn mark banknote. However, it is not actually possible to see the gate exactly as it appears on the banknote. Bruun stylised the illustration a little to better show off the famous gate. Suomenlinna has been known as an avant-garde of culture, the influence of which has affected the cultural life throughout Finland. Many buildings have been converted into artists’ studios, and there is an art school for children. The easiest way to get acquainted with local culture is through the architecture of Suomenlinna. On the islands, styles from different periods form a harmonious whole. But as a monument to military architecture, the fortress is unique in the world.
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