Stories from history to the present day

Wivi Lönn (1872? 1966) was a prolific architect, whose buildings include e.g. From Helsinki, Tampere and Jyväskylä. She ran her own architectural firm, the first woman in Finland, and designed e.g. several school buildings. For example, he designed the wooden part of Edvin Laine's school in Iisalmi in the early 20th century.

Billnäs is part of the historic ironworks area of southwestern Finland and is the third oldest in Finland, Rautaruukki. Billnäs Ruukki was founded in 1641 by Carl Billsten with the permission of the Swedish krona. The historic Kuninkaantie runs through Ruukki's Mustionjoki River and the other bank of the river. In the heart of the ironworks area, industrial activity largely ceased in the 1980s. Today, the area is owned by Billnäsin Ruukki Oy. The company is developing the area into a center for tourism, events and teleworking, respecting history.

Frans Mikael Franzén (February 9, 1772 Oulu? August 14, 1847 near Härnösand, Sweden) was a Finnish poet, clergyman, bishop of Härnösand, professor and academician.

Hanko City Hall was completed in September 1926. The building was designed by Armas Lindgren and Bertel Liljequist. Activities in the town hall were lively. There were concerts, plays, dance performances and lectures. Of course, there was also an entire city administration building. In 1941, a continuation war broke out, and Russian troops blew up the town hall as they retreated from the city in December. The current town hall was completed in 1951.

The oldest surviving crane in Hanko Harbor was commissioned in July 1911. Ransomes & Rapier Ltd in London delivered the parts and the engineering firm Zitting & co from Helsinki assembled it. The crane was renovated in 2020.

A spa was established in Hanko in the late 1870s. The celebrities and royals of their time were cared for by sister-in-law. Here is the story of sister Edla Helin.

The strongest appeals for clean water in Hanko? against communicable diseases? heard among the medical profession, the loudest being city doctors Wilhelm Snellman as early as 1889 and Sam Chydenius as early as 1897? 1917. The sewerage and water supply system gradually developed, and finally in 1910 the design of the Hanko water tower began. The same architect Waldemar Aspel, who had just drawn the extensions of the spa and casino, was invited to the task.

Hanko parks are great places to walk all year round. The first actual parks appear in the town plan from 1900, when the Town Hall Park, Vartiovuorenpuisto, Spa Park, Railway Park and the current Haagapuisto existed or are planned.

Where in Hanko or in Finland can you see the names of so many famous people as in Hauensuo? In the 16th and 17th centuries, sailors have left their mark on the cliffs of this natural harbor, waiting for better winds. More than 600 carvings can be found here, either as names or family coats of arms. Listen to Hauensuoli - the story of Hanko's guestbook. Hauensole became a natural harbor in the 15th century when…

Before telephones and satellites, messages were transmitted loosely and on many roads. If nothing was heard, what was thought or feared to be true was read. The story is from Sara Wacklin's book? Hundrade minnen från Österbotten? from 1844.

The steamship Express has a legendary place in Finnish history. The Express was built at Oskarshamn Shipyard in Sweden in 1877, and the ship was ordered by the Finnish company Finska Transito Ångbåts. It was 42.4 m long, 6.9 m wide and 3.5 m deep, with a top speed of 10.7 knots on a 400-horsepower engine. In open water, the journey from Hanko to Stockholm took 17 hours.

Sibelius went both sailing and to the spa in Hanko, but in the summer of 1902 he spent more than a month here in Tvärminne. The only wife was pregnant and depressed. Jean wanted to get to a quieter place. He lived in Södergård, where Sakari Topelius, Hjalmar Munsterhjelm and Juhani Aho had previously spent summers.

In the beginning there was curiosity, knowledge was gained by experimentation, and the sciences sprouted from the grains of knowledge. In the following story, science and superstition take on each other. The story is from Sara Wacklin's book? Hundrade minnen från Österbotten? from 1844.

The landscapes of Kaukolanharju have inspired both local and visiting artists. The landscape has been immortalized by, for example, Magnus von Wright, Robert Wilhelm Ekman and, most famously, Albert Edelfelt.

The series of works created for the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital by the visual artist Janna Syvänoja comprises the works “Laguuni” ( Lagoons), “Maa kohoaa” (The ground rises) and “Kaislikossa” (In the reeds) . Syvänoja collected the material for the works from beaches. For her, the material in itself constitutes an important point of departure for the content and visual expression of the work. The original materials, familiar to everyone, remain themselves in the work, reminding of their past.

The animation “Landet andas” (The Ground breaths) by Geir Byrkjeland depicts our unique archipelago. The work is located in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital. The Vaasa region is home to one of the few geological phenomena that can be experienced during a person’s lifetime. The phenomenon in question is land uplift, a remnant of the last ice age.

Friendship is gold, but what happened in Oulu when the unbreakable trust and playfulness of the two teachers shook hands? The story is from Sara Wacklin's book? Hundrade minnen från Österbotten? from 1844.

Four days before Germany conquered Tallinn on August 28, 1941, an Estonian lawyer and father of two small children, 36-year-old Leonid Tretjakevich (later Trett), boarded the Örne ship in Tallinn among 600 other Estonian men. There were no alternatives, for refusing to call the Red Army knew the death penalty. Leonid was stationed as an assistant to the artillery station on the West Bank of Hanko, in Varisniemi at Kappelisatama.

Ljungbo Sanatorium was built by Viva Lagerborg, one of Finland's first gynecologists. The building was designed by his cousin Signe Lagerborg-Stenius. Anna Wichmann bought and saved the building in 2020. The villa is now in private use.

The two-part artwork Lumpeet by the photographer Santeri Tuori is located in the building of the Turku Student Village Tyyssija. The work depicts water lilies and aquatic plants. The video-controlled LED light grid that lights up in the evenings brings new layers to the work. 

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867? 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. Mannerheim became the national hero of the Finns at the beginning of our independence. In 1919, Mannerheim moved his church book to Hanko, and in the winter of 1920, he rented a villa on the Great Mäntysaari, which was named Stormhälla, Storm Rock.

Created by the ceramicist Laura Pehkonen, the series of works “Merellä” (at sea) is a viewable and touchable abstract ceramic wall relief. Located on the walls of the 4th through to 6th floors of the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital, the work is a collage composed of several parts made out of unique, hand-made ceramic pieces.

Definition of content? Relentlessness in the face of adversity, serenity in the face of suffering. The story of the remarkable descent is from Sara Wacklin's book? Hundrade minnen från Österbotten? from 1844.

The first music pavilion in Hanko Spa Park was built in 1890. It was like a large speaker with dance and operetta melodies.

Tinsmith Einar Sandberg did many great jobs in Hanko. Among other things, he renewed the roofs of the church and powerhouse along with his sons after the war. He also made a large, 3-meter weather vane for the water tower that looks like a fish. Unfortunately, Einar suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while working on the roof of Lundell’s general store on the Esplanade. At that time he was already 80 years old and still involved in working life!

All strata of the people took part in the old-time celebrations. The story is from Sara Wacklin's book? Hundrade minnen från Österbotten? from 1844.

Created by the sculptor Kim Jotuni, “Puu” (tree) located in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital is made of laminated pine board and painted pine squares set on a background of birch plywood. Jotuni wanted to make a wooden work for the hospital due to the material being an ecologically sound choice and also because the material goes hand in hand with the theme of the work.

The Nazi-German transit camp was located in the Customs Name of Hanko. It was intended for 3,000 soldiers, but there were constantly 4,000, sometimes up to 5,000, soldiers. Hanko's advantage was a short sea voyage to the German-occupied Baltic ports of Tallinn and Liepaja and to Danzig, Poland. Hanko was also a good winter port, so troops could be transported all year round.

Sara Elisabeth Wacklin (26 May 1790 Oulu? 28 January 1846 Stockholm) was an Oulu-born writer and pioneer in women's education. She was one of Finland's first female writers.

Henrik Ramsay (1886? 1951) was a major economic figure and statesman but above all a passionate sailor.

Are there more opposing professions than military and medical? What if a soldier starts advising a pharmacist on the treatment of his wounds? Self-help in Finnish. The story is from Sara Wacklin's book? Hundrade minnen från Österbotten? from 1844.

The Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas of the Estuary is located in surrendered Karelia. It was the main church of the former Suistamo Orthodox parish. The church was inaugurated on May 17, 1844, and has been designed by Carl Ludvig Engel.                         

The watershed is a submarine launched on 10.5. 1933 in Turku. Until 1936, the boat was only named CV 707. The Dutch engineering firm Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw had ordered the vessel in October 1930 as a prototype commercial submarine. The Finnish state bought it in 1936, and it was named Vesikko.

Hanko was the most important Departure City for migrants at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. About 250,000 Finns went through the port of Hanko in search of new life. Accommodation capacity in Hanko has always been a problem, and in the early 20th century, there were particularly many immigrants in Hanko who stayed here for a night or two before continuing their journey through England to the United States. The Finnish Steamship Company, which was responsible for the migrants' journey from Finland, decided to build a migrant hotel on the Boulevard in 1902.

Life depends on the hair. How does a person act when a safety net fails? Where does he seek protection? What about explanations for surprising things? The story of the great thunderstorm in 1793. The story is from Sara Wacklin's book? Hundrade minnen från Österbotten? from 1844.

Of all the means of crossing the river, the rarest is probably the winter bridge. The story is from Sara Wacklin's book? Hundrade minnen från Österbotten? from 1844.

The series of works “Turkoosi virtaus” (turquoise flow) by Terhi Ekebom, on exhibit in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital comprises eight sea-themed paintings. The series depicts water as a gentle and supportive element, a turquoise refuge of constant movement. The direction of the flow aligns with the direction the users of the hospital move through the space.

The Tvärminne Zoological Station was founded by Johan Axel Palmén, Professor of Zoology, in 1902. His goal was to establish a marine field station in an area with a diverse environment and thus good opportunities for research. After his death, the position was transferred as a will to the University of Helsinki in 1919.

Poppy Day is celebrated every year on July 27th. It has been celebrated in Hanko since the early days of spa culture, in the late 19th century. Here you can find more information about the history of Poppy Day in Hanko.