12 Jun 2024
My Spring Tour 2024 – Part 1: From Riga to Helsinki
This year I wanted to complete the tour of the Baltic States, and since it’s only two hours by ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, I decided to add a bit of Finland to the list. I enjoyed three weeks of mostly sunshine and temperatures unusually warm to hot for the countries so far north. The Fins were shaking their heads at +28 °C in late May; they are more used to about 15 °C and rain. There are also those lovely long and still bright evenings of the North I remembered from my time in Stockholm.
Helsinki archipelago
I started my tour with Riga in Latvia. I had visited the town during the Baltic Sea Cruise in 2012, but while there was reasonable time to see the most important sites, it was not enough for the less touristy places and also, there were still buildings undergoing renovation.
Riga, lane in the Konventa Sēta courtyard
The Convent Courtyard (Konventa Sēta) is situated on the former site of the first castle of the Order of the Teutonic Knights which was destroyed by the citizens of Riga in 1297. Afterwards, the place was used as a convent, and since the late 15th century, as an almshouse – in fact, several small houses that constitute the ‘yard’ – for the poor. Nowadays, most of the houses are a hotel; others are used for exhibitions.
Riga, Cathedral Square
The cathedral and cathedral square had been among the places where renovation works were going on during my first visit, so it was nice to see the place and the cathedral without scaffoldings and closed doors this time.
Riga, Freedom Monument
The 42 metres high Freedom Monument was erected in 1935. It commemorates the victims of the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920), and is since then an important symbol for Latvia’s independence as well as a gathering place.
Riga, the canal separating the old town from the centre
Another sight I missed last time was the pretty park along part of the canal that separates Riga’s old town – Vecrīga – from the new town and the modern city. The canal fills the old moat of the former landside defense walls of Riga and is connected to the Daugava river. A nice place for a break.
Tallinn, little hidden side lane
I always wanted to go back to the Estonian capital Tallinn which is another city I visited briefly in 2012. This time I could really explore the lovely old town and enjoy the warm and sunny evenings.
Tallinn, the castle
Tallinn is divided into the Toompea Hill with the castle, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and a lot of pretty houses, and All-linn, the lower town with the town hall, several more churches, the remaining town fortifications, and many more pretty old houses.
Tallinn, houses on the Toompea Hill
I spent hours walking the streets and lanes, trying to get photos with not too many tourists standing in the way. The light also changed from the bright midday sun with its clear cut shadows to the softer evening light with its gentle tones of muted turqoius and pink.
Tallinn, another charming corner in the old town
You see, I got plenty of photos. Walking the old town makes thirsty and the heat addad a craving for ice cream, but fortunately, there are cafés and restaurants aplenty, though the prices are more like western European cities these days.
Tallinn, modern skyscrapers in the city, seen from the castle hill
The modern city centre of Tallinn is rapidly growing. Usually, the high rise houses are built in the suburbs around the cities (like in Vilnius), but in Tallinn, some can be found in the city proper, not far from the historical centre. Their modern designs – contrary to the boring concrete blocks of Sovyet times – fit surprisingly well.
Haapsalu, the old spa house
I made some day trips from Tallinn. One led me to Haapsalu, a charming little town with pretty timber houses that had been a famous spa town in the 19th century, attracting even the Russian tsar. Today, it is quite laid back.
Haapsalu, the bishop’s castle
But the real reason I visisted Haapsalu looks more like this. *grin* The town got a whopping big castle, the so-called Bishop’s Castle.
Haapsalu Castle, view to the main hall and the church
The castle was the seat of the bishop of Ösel-Wiek since the 14th century. When the bishopric was founded in 1228, the bishops at first worked together with the Order of the Sword Brothers (later merged with the Teutonic Knights), but after some time, the rivalry between both powers increased, and the bishops decided to have a strong castle.
Haapsalu Castle, curtain walls
The buildings were altered several times during the following three centuries, adapting to the developments of arms and warfare. The castle grounds cover about 30,000 square metres, enclosed by walls at least a metre thick (in some places up to 1.80 metres) and ten metres high.
Rakvere Castle
Another Estonian castle I visited is Rakvere. It was built in the early 14th century during the Danish rule of that part of Estonia. It came to the Livonian Order of the Sword Brothers in 1343. It was badly damaged during various wars in the 17th century, albeit the ruins are still quite impressive,
Rakvere Castle, detail of the inner bailey
Unfortunately, there was some sort of concert with very loud music, so the yard was crowded with people, the great hall closed, and the noise (it was not my sort of music) drove me off sooner than I had intended.
Tallinn, park in Kadriorg
So I took the bus back to Tallinn and spent some time on a shadowy bench in the park in the Kadriorg quarter. Then I went to find some midge repellent. *grin*
Helsinki, harbour front with the cathedral in the background
Next station was Helsinki. The city, being a much younger capital, doesn’t have old towns the way Riga and Tallinn – and many other cities – possess, but Helsinki still has some landmarks popular with tourists and inhabitants alike.
Helsinki, Senate Square
One of these is the Senate Square with its steps leading up to the cathedral and the classicist buildings on both sides. The one you can see on the photo, which was taken on the steps, is the University of Helsinki (or, to be exact, one of its buildings spread across the city, and the most famous).
Helsinki, the Rock Church
Another site worth visiting is the Rock Church, a Lutheran church built in 1969. It was delved directly into the rock, with the walls left as roughly hewn rock surfaces. The dome is made of copper with skylights which are the only light source of the church. The design is pretty unusual but beautiful.
Helsinki, Open Air Museum Seurasaari
The Open Air Museum Seurasaari is located on an island close to the city and displays historical houses mostly of the 18th/19th centuries from all over Finland. The grounds are open all year round, but the interior of the houses can only be seen during summer, which means June to August.
Very Finnish - the park of Seurasaari
So no peek at historical Finnish furniture (which is probably not that different from the examples displayed at Rumšiškes, but a nice walk in the forest, despite the midges.
Suomenlinna, fortification walls
Some islands out of Helsinki are taken up by the fortress of Suomenlinna, the ‘Finnish Fortress’, or historically, Sveaborg (= Castle of Sweden, Viaporg in Finnish), since its oldest parts were built in 1748 when most of Finland belonged to Sweden. The fortress protected the coast and served as base for a fleet.
Suomenlinna, walkway on the earthen sea wall
Sweden lost the fortress to Russia during the Finnish War in 1808 when Finland became a Grand Duchy under Russian supremacy. After the Russian Revolution, Finland gained its independency, and the fortress, now named Suomenlinna, became a Finnish stronghold. The whole complex is vast and takes several hours to explore.
Suomenlinna, barrack buildings
The next part of my tour will follow in a few days – three weeks and some 3,800 photos is too much for one post. ¶ June 12, 2024
This year I wanted to complete the tour of the Baltic States, and since it’s only two hours by ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, I decided to add a bit of Finland to the list. I enjoyed three weeks of mostly sunshine and temperatures unusually warm to hot for the countries so far north. The Fins were shaking their heads at +28 °C in late May; they are more used to about 15 °C and rain. There are also those lovely long and still bright evenings of the North I remembered from my time in Stockholm.
I started my tour with Riga in Latvia. I had visited the town during the Baltic Sea Cruise in 2012, but while there was reasonable time to see the most important sites, it was not enough for the less touristy places and also, there were still buildings undergoing renovation.
The Convent Courtyard (Konventa Sēta) is situated on the former site of the first castle of the Order of the Teutonic Knights which was destroyed by the citizens of Riga in 1297. Afterwards, the place was used as a convent, and since the late 15th century, as an almshouse – in fact, several small houses that constitute the ‘yard’ – for the poor. Nowadays, most of the houses are a hotel; others are used for exhibitions.
The cathedral and cathedral square had been among the places where renovation works were going on during my first visit, so it was nice to see the place and the cathedral without scaffoldings and closed doors this time.
The 42 metres high Freedom Monument was erected in 1935. It commemorates the victims of the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920), and is since then an important symbol for Latvia’s independence as well as a gathering place.
Another sight I missed last time was the pretty park along part of the canal that separates Riga’s old town – Vecrīga – from the new town and the modern city. The canal fills the old moat of the former landside defense walls of Riga and is connected to the Daugava river. A nice place for a break.
I always wanted to go back to the Estonian capital Tallinn which is another city I visited briefly in 2012. This time I could really explore the lovely old town and enjoy the warm and sunny evenings.
Tallinn is divided into the Toompea Hill with the castle, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and a lot of pretty houses, and All-linn, the lower town with the town hall, several more churches, the remaining town fortifications, and many more pretty old houses.
I spent hours walking the streets and lanes, trying to get photos with not too many tourists standing in the way. The light also changed from the bright midday sun with its clear cut shadows to the softer evening light with its gentle tones of muted turqoius and pink.
You see, I got plenty of photos. Walking the old town makes thirsty and the heat addad a craving for ice cream, but fortunately, there are cafés and restaurants aplenty, though the prices are more like western European cities these days.
The modern city centre of Tallinn is rapidly growing. Usually, the high rise houses are built in the suburbs around the cities (like in Vilnius), but in Tallinn, some can be found in the city proper, not far from the historical centre. Their modern designs – contrary to the boring concrete blocks of Sovyet times – fit surprisingly well.
I made some day trips from Tallinn. One led me to Haapsalu, a charming little town with pretty timber houses that had been a famous spa town in the 19th century, attracting even the Russian tsar. Today, it is quite laid back.
But the real reason I visisted Haapsalu looks more like this. *grin* The town got a whopping big castle, the so-called Bishop’s Castle.
The castle was the seat of the bishop of Ösel-Wiek since the 14th century. When the bishopric was founded in 1228, the bishops at first worked together with the Order of the Sword Brothers (later merged with the Teutonic Knights), but after some time, the rivalry between both powers increased, and the bishops decided to have a strong castle.
The buildings were altered several times during the following three centuries, adapting to the developments of arms and warfare. The castle grounds cover about 30,000 square metres, enclosed by walls at least a metre thick (in some places up to 1.80 metres) and ten metres high.
Another Estonian castle I visited is Rakvere. It was built in the early 14th century during the Danish rule of that part of Estonia. It came to the Livonian Order of the Sword Brothers in 1343. It was badly damaged during various wars in the 17th century, albeit the ruins are still quite impressive,
Unfortunately, there was some sort of concert with very loud music, so the yard was crowded with people, the great hall closed, and the noise (it was not my sort of music) drove me off sooner than I had intended.
So I took the bus back to Tallinn and spent some time on a shadowy bench in the park in the Kadriorg quarter. Then I went to find some midge repellent. *grin*
Next station was Helsinki. The city, being a much younger capital, doesn’t have old towns the way Riga and Tallinn – and many other cities – possess, but Helsinki still has some landmarks popular with tourists and inhabitants alike.
One of these is the Senate Square with its steps leading up to the cathedral and the classicist buildings on both sides. The one you can see on the photo, which was taken on the steps, is the University of Helsinki (or, to be exact, one of its buildings spread across the city, and the most famous).
Another site worth visiting is the Rock Church, a Lutheran church built in 1969. It was delved directly into the rock, with the walls left as roughly hewn rock surfaces. The dome is made of copper with skylights which are the only light source of the church. The design is pretty unusual but beautiful.
The Open Air Museum Seurasaari is located on an island close to the city and displays historical houses mostly of the 18th/19th centuries from all over Finland. The grounds are open all year round, but the interior of the houses can only be seen during summer, which means June to August.
So no peek at historical Finnish furniture (which is probably not that different from the examples displayed at Rumšiškes, but a nice walk in the forest, despite the midges.
Some islands out of Helsinki are taken up by the fortress of Suomenlinna, the ‘Finnish Fortress’, or historically, Sveaborg (= Castle of Sweden, Viaporg in Finnish), since its oldest parts were built in 1748 when most of Finland belonged to Sweden. The fortress protected the coast and served as base for a fleet.
Sweden lost the fortress to Russia during the Finnish War in 1808 when Finland became a Grand Duchy under Russian supremacy. After the Russian Revolution, Finland gained its independency, and the fortress, now named Suomenlinna, became a Finnish stronghold. The whole complex is vast and takes several hours to explore.
The next part of my tour will follow in a few days – three weeks and some 3,800 photos is too much for one post. ¶ June 12, 2024
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