Historical sights

How did a Turkish pirate ship end up as a model in an Åland church? In the past, models of ships - known as votive ships - used to be set up in churches as a symbol of gratitude to divine providence. A truly special votive ship hangs in St Anna's church in the Kökar group of islands in the remotest part of the Åland archipelago.

In the Middle Ages, the Crusades passed by Åland. At that time, the island state was right in the middle of the Scandinavian artery, a sailing channel that these days is called the Valdemar Fairway. The motorway of the times was mentioned in writing in Latin in the 1200s. The fairway runs from Arholma to Åland and the Finnish archipelago. A number of traces of medieval times have been preserved in Åland.

A visit to the period peasant market in Bomarsund July 2-3 (at 12:00 -17:00) takes you to the Åland of the 1800's, a time period when the area around the fortress of Bomarsund was a multi-cultural centre. Here Greek-orthodox, Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Muslims worked and lived together.

ÅSS Rödhamn

A bicycle tour through the centuries is a tip if you are interested in history. The tour is most suitable from June through August if you want to make a round-tour with the help of the bicycle ferries.

The oldest of the staffed lighthouses in Åland were built in the mid 1800’s. Here, way out at sea, lived the lighthouse-keepers in a harsh environment, far from the rest of the society.

Here you'll find a map and more thorough descriptions over the different artworks in the walk:

The maritime town of Mariehamn was founded in 1861 according to a city plan that was made by the Swedish architect George Theodor Chiewitz in 1859 (picture 1). At the time Åland and Finland were part of Russia and the plan was made by the Russian standard with wide, straight streets and avenues. For fire security reasons, two crossing avenues split the town into four parts.