Kyminlinna Fortress

Fog at sea

Komea sumurintama koko eteläisen Suomen rannikolla. Kuvattu Kotkan Kyminlinnasta. Sumu peittää merenpuolella kaiken ja mantereen puolella aurinko paistaa kirkkaasti.

Fog covers Gulf of Finland in March 2017. On land the sun is shining. Filmed next to old fortress Kyminlinna in Kotka Finland.

Svensksund Naval Battles 1789-90

The Russo-Swedish War and the battles of Svensksund

The first and second naval battle of Svensksund were fought during the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–90. The purpose of the war was to regain the eastern territories that Sweden lost in the Great Northern War and the Russo–Swedish War of 1741–1743. The king also wanted to strengthen Sweden’s position as a major power. The border between the countries ran through Finland along the Kymijoki River. The cities of Hamina, Lappeenranta and Savonlinna lay east of the border. Svensksund, which later became the centre stage of the war, had been transferred from Sweden to Russia in the Treaty of Åbo in 1743.

The war that King Gustav III started was not a success for Sweden on land or sea. It suffered a heavy loss to the Russian Archipelago Fleet in the first naval battle of Svensksund on 24 August 1789. One year later, the Swedish Archipelago Fleet was forced to flee from Russian vessels into the Straits of Svensksund, and a second naval battle was fought there on 9 July 1790. The greatest battle in the history of the Baltic Sea ended in the victory of the Swedish Archipelago Fleet. In one day, the seabed of Svensksund became the grave of dozens of war vessels and thousands of soldiers.

The victory improved Sweden’s position in the war, and the king was able to offer a peace treaty to the Empress of Russia, Catherine II the Great. The treaty was signed in August 1790 with no changes in territory. The outcome of the war strengthened Sweden’s military position, but the aim of regaining lost territories was not realised.

As a result of the loss at Svensksund, Catherine the Great decided to strengthen the defences of the city of St Petersburg. The empress wanted to fortify the northwest border of the realm and gave the task to General Alexander Suvorov. Named after the General, the “Suvorov line” was a chain of fortifications that stretched across the entire border line. Some of the fortifications and ruins are still extant in Northeast Finland. Suvorov placed the starting point of the fortifications at the site of the Battle of Svensksund. A sea fort and naval base were built in the archipelago, and Kyminlinna Fortress was built along the Great Coastal Road to St Petersburg. The purpose of the double fortification was to counter the fortress of Suomenlinna (then Sveaborg) built by the Swedish outside Helsinki. Today, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Svensksund lost its military significance in 1809 when the entire Finnish territory became part of Russia. The rundown fortress was finally destroyed by the Anglo-French fleet during the Crimean War in 1854. The modern city of Kotka was later founded at the location, and the ruins of the fortress can still be found in the city.

Credits:

Produced by:
Cursor Ltd., Access Southeast135 - Mobile Games for Tourism Marketing (ERDF Europan Regional Development Fund), Noora Kiili.

Production:
Mediatehdas Dakar Oy

Script:
The Museum of Kymenlaakso
Maritime Centre Vellamo

Videos:
Finland's National Board of Antiquities, Archaeological Field Services.
Kotka Divers
Subzone Ltd.

Drawings and maps:
Finland's National Board of Antiquities
The Museum of Kymenlaakso
Google

Photos:
Juha Metso

Paintings:
Johan Tietrich Schoultz: Slaget vid Svensksund 9 juli 1790 & Slaget vid Svensksund 10 juli 1790
Photo©Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

Speaker: Alan Sykes

[FinLine 2017] Slideshow (Suomi 100 -rullaluisteluviikko)

32 skaters from multiple countries participated on the Street Glider's FinLine skating event in July 2017, skating the historical King's Road from Vaalimaa Border Crossing Point to the Old Great Square of Turku.

This time the skating event was celebrating the 100 years of independent Finland: almost all participants skated 100 kilometers (and much more) during the week, and therefore also completed the Finland 100 inline skating week's challenge.

Finland 100 inline skating week was part of the programme for the centenary of Finland’s independence in 2017.

There have been skaters from all around the world during the history of FinLine. All skaters with basic skating and good braking skills are welcome! For more information on FinLine and how to register for the next summer, see

#finline #suomi100 #finland100

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Background music, among others: Smooth Sailing (with Guitar) and Mall Walker by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license ( Artist: ; Cold Funk - Funkorama and Disco Lounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license ( Sources: , Artist: