Savonlinna by night
People usually do not think of Finland when they talk about castles, and probably for good reason.  Finland is not blessed with a plethora of castles, but it has a few, and they are good ones.  This is probably the gem of them all- it is located in southeast Finland close to the Russian border.  In fact, Savonlinna (the town name as well) flipped back and forth as the Finno-Russian frontier oscillated back and forth.

The day I took this shot was an awful day- it rained all day and was dark gray.  So, I was pleased when my patience paid off and it cleared just before sunset.  The pictures on the right are in sequence, top to bottom.  The first one, drenched in rich golden sunlight, followed by the "just-after" with the purple sky, and finally followed by the shot when the building lights were on and had achieved a significant enough part of the exposure to show up.  The shot below was taken immediately after that.

Dusk is the best time to take photos.  The first shot above is on my wall- it's one of my best.

All images ©2000, Jeffrey L. Cooper

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Savonlinna by Day
Of course, not everything cool about Savonlinna is at night.  In fact, it is quite intact inside as well.  These are a few of the inside shots.  The original castle was built by the Swedes in the 15th century.  When it changed hands to Russia, they added onto it.  The stone and white mortar in these shots are the original towers built by the Swedes.  The red brick tops were extensions added by the Russians.  The result is the dramatic two-tone.

The castle is not only fully open to the public- it is for rent.  For 5000FIM (about US$400 in 2000) you can rent it for a day for the ultimate team building or wedding.  During the summer, Savonlinna is famous for it's operas and concerts that are held within the castle as well.  The season was just wrapping up when I visited.

You can tour the castle as well, and climb up in the towers.  The photo at the bottom right is from within one of those towers.  Also, I should note that the castle sits entirely on an island in the middle of a river.

All images ©2000, Jeffrey L. Cooper
Turku Castle
This is one of the oldest of castles in Finland was built in 1280 by the Swedes on what was then an island.  Turku was the capital of Finland until the Russians took over and moved it to Helsinki.  This castle consists of several layers and several courtyards, and inside are a two churches, a dungeon, a museum, and a maze of many other rooms.

All images ©2001, Jeffrey L. Cooper
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Häme Castle
This castle is from the same era as the Turku Castle, started in 1260.  It remained a fortress until the Russians took over, and then was turned into a prison in 1837, a function it kept until the 1980's.  It is now strictly for tourists to visit.

All images ©2001, Jeffrey L. Cooper
Suomenlinna
This famous fortress sits on a small group of islands just off the coast of Helsinki.  It was a significant fortress in it's day and is on the UN list of World Heritage Sites.  There are hourly ferries to the island from the end of the Esplanade in downtown Helsinki.  It'll take at least half a day to visit the island.  You can tour one of the few existing Finnish submarines from World War II, or just walk around the pleasant park-like atmosphere, see the walls surrounding the old fortress, or attend a summer concert.

Both images ©2000, Jeffrey L. Cooper