» Åland Islands (1/3)
Russian wikipedia considers the Åland Islands the largest archipelago in the world in terms of the number of islands.
Usually people say: “one day my mother sent the giant Ytytyrgen to buy lingonberries. Already returning home with a full basket, he tripped and scattered all his loot! Coconuts that fell into the water turned into these thousands of islands” about every large archipelago, but not about Åland 
And so - the spitting image of Sweden. Or Finland. Or Sweden 
Åland number, not a word about Finland or the European Union 
Everything seems so ordinary, but around is not the Baltic, but the Archipelago Sea 
Since the Middle Ages, there was a Swedish province here - in the only castle on all the islands, Kastelholm (in the picture), a Swedish vassal sat, and Swedish peasants and fishermen walked around, and even before that there were Vikings (also, of course, not Finns) here. 
Kastelholm Castle
The islands ended up in Finland because: Åland occupies a strategic position in the Baltic, and has been a target since the time of Peter I Russian-Swedish wars, and, in the end, in 1809, together with Finland, they passed to Russia under Alexander I 
The Åland Tourist Office has marked the area and shows everyone the history of the post road that connected parts of the Swedish Empire across the Archipelago Sea from the 1600s to 1809. Since 1809, the road began to connect Sweden and the Russian Empire: 
Stockholm-Turku postal road, 1749 map wiki
This building of the Russian Imperial Post and Customs in the very west of the main island (40 kilometers of the sea strait to Sweden is behind the photographer) is sometimes called the westernmost point of the Russian Empire or the westernmost post office of the Russian Empire, but this is doubtful: the westernmost point of Russia was somewhere just west of the middle of modern Poland 
From 1830 to 1854, Russia built the grandiose Bomarsund fortress in the center of the islands, but the technology turned out to be outdated and the fortress was quickly taken and destroyed by the British and French in 1854 during the Crimean War 
Russia did not lose Aland, but the skeletons were demilitarized and the fortress was never restored (but only dismantled Construction Materials). Today a highway passes through the ruins 
After the revolutions of 1917, there was a risk that Russia would not interpret Finnish independence as the loss of the Åland Islands (because the Åland Islands lived in Finland for only 100 years of their 6,000-year populated history, and Russia fought for them for 300 years) and the locals began to fight for self-determination and joining Sweden. In 1920, Finland gave the islands autonomy, in 1921 the League of Nations confirmed this decision, and everything somehow calmed down 
The Åland Islands joined the European Union at the same time as Finland (but on the basis of their own referendum), but the European Union allowed it to remain here. In the GDP of the islands, of course, there are large shipping companies, environmentally friendly Agriculture, tourism and the fishing industry, but the main emphasis here is on business typical of offshore companies: tourism associated with human vices (duty free and casinos/slot machines), so the island capital of Mariehamn is the most popular port for cruises in Scandinavia. Without Åland, there would be nowhere to cross the EU customs border in the heart of Europe 
After Russia concluded the Peace of Tilsit with Bonaparte in July 1807, England and all its then allies naturally became opponents of Russia. And since Sweden was one of the British allies, Russian Emperor Alexander I decided to take advantage of the situation to finally resolve in his favor the long-standing geopolitical dispute with Sweden about the ownership of Finland. Before this, in the wars of the 18th century, Russia took possession southern part Finland with the cities of Vyborg and Friedrichsgam (Hamina).
In the winter of 1807-1808. the Russian corps under the command of General Feodor Buxhoeveden was secretly prepared in consisting of three divisions (one of which was commanded by General Peter Bagration) of 26 thousand soldiers, after which he suddenly began military operations against the Swedes. The troops of the latter, concentrated in Finland mainly in the garrisons of important points and consisting of approximately 19 thousand people, did not expect such a quick armed attack from Russia. The last Russian-Swedish war in history began.
On February 9 (all dates according to the old style), 1808, the Russian army crossed the border of Sweden without declaring war. Already on February 18, Helsingfors was occupied, and the main Swedish forces were besieged in Sveaborg. Despite powerful fortifications and large reserves of provisions, Sveaborg capitulated on April 26. Swedish historians claim that the Russians managed to bribe their generals. By this time, war had already been officially declared (March 16). In March, Russian troops, having marched across the ice, occupied the Åland Islands and the island of Gotland (belonging to Sweden). Then the Swedes managed to consolidate their forces and inflict a number of defeats on our units in the central part of Finland, and in addition, with the help of the English fleet, they recaptured Gotland and the Aland Islands.
The Russians regrouped and increased the number of troops to 34 thousand. The two task forces were headed by generals Mikhail Barclay de Tolly and Nikolai Raevsky. A number of important clashes ended in favor of the Russian troops. In September, the Swedish king Gustav IV himself arrived at the theater of war and, with the help of the English fleet, landed troops in the Helsingfors area. The landing party was defeated, and at the request of the king a truce was concluded.
No truce
Alexander I, however, did not approve the truce and ordered military operations to continue. By winter, Russian troops captured all of Northern Finland, reaching Torneo, a point on the modern Swedish-Finnish border.
During the campaign of 1809, the Russian emperor ordered the capture of the enemy capital. On March 1, the Russian army moved in three columns across the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia. However, Stockholm was lucky enough to become one of the European capitals, where the Russian army never entered. After General Kulnev’s detachment reached the outskirts of Stockholm on March 7, a coup d’état took place there. The new king Charles XIII (Napoleonic Marshal Bernadotte, who then became Napoleon's enemy, was declared his successor) hastened to request a truce, to which the Russian commander-in-chief General Knorring, in view of the rapid opening of the ice, agreed. But Alexander I again did not approve of the truce. And Knorring, who exceeded his authority and did not complete the operation, was replaced by Barclay de Tolly. The war continued on the territory of Sweden itself, however, there was no longer any hope of taking Stockholm. Finally, on September 5, 1809, peace was concluded in Friedrichsham.
Under the terms of the peace treaty, all of Finland from the Torneo River, as well as the Åland Islands, passed into the eternal and indivisible possession of Russia.
First difficulties
The conquest of Finland, from the very first steps, was marked by difficulties caused by the hostility of the Finns towards the Russian army. The slow and not always successful actions of the Russian troops at the first stage of the war were, as recognized by the Russian military historian A.A. Kersnovsky, were explained by the need to “separation of a significant number of troops to ... protect the rear from the almost completely rebelling Finnish population. The guerrilla war weakened the troops so much that in April, before the surrender of Sveaborg, only 4,500 soldiers remained at the front.” Failures in a number of skirmishes in the spring further strengthened partisan movement Finns.
Emperor Alexander I took political steps to pacify the country's population. On March 16, 1808, on the day of the official declaration of war and a week after the Russian troops captured the main city of Finland at that time, Abo (Turku), the emperor announced to all foreign states the permanent annexation to Russia of that part of Finland, “which until now was called Swedish.” . And on March 20 (April 1, new style), 1808, he issued a manifesto, which stated that from now on and forever Finland would be part of the Russian Empire with the significance of the Grand Duchy of Finland and with the preservation of the previous laws and the Diet.
In February 1809, the emperor ordered the all-Finnish Diet to gather in Borgo (Porvoo). On March 16, he personally opened it with a speech in which he promised to preserve the constitution and indigenous laws of Finland. Members of the Sejm took an oath of allegiance to the All-Russian Emperor and the Grand Duke of Finland. When adopting financial laws, Alexander I gave the royal word that all taxes collected in Finland would go to the needs of the principality itself.
Thus, being an autocrat in Russia, the Russian Tsar became a constitutional monarch in Finland.
When determining the boundaries of the Grand Duchy, those parts of the Karelian Isthmus and the Ladoga region that Russia conquered from Sweden in the wars of the 18th century, including Vyborg and Kexholm (Priozersk), were annexed to it. Thus, the border of Finland lay 30 versts from the capital of the Russian Empire.
At the beginning of the 19th century, an event occurred that influenced the fate of an entire people who inhabited the territory adjacent to the coast of the Baltic Sea, and for many centuries were under the jurisdiction of the Swedish monarchs. This historical act was the annexation of Finland to Russia, the history of which formed the basis of this article.
The document that became the result of the Russian-Swedish war
On September 17, 1809, on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the city of Friedrichsham, Emperor Alexander I and Gustav IV signed an agreement, which resulted in the annexation of Finland to Russia. This document was the result of the victory of Russian troops, supported by France and Denmark, in the last of a long series of Russian-Swedish wars.
The annexation of Finland to Russia under Alexander 1 was a response to the appeal of the Borgor Diet, the first class assembly of the peoples inhabiting Finland, to the Russian government with a request to accept their country into Russia as the Grand Duchy of Finland, and to conclude a personal union.
Most historians believe that it was positive reaction Emperor Alexander I's response to this popular expression gave impetus to the formation of the Finnish national state, the population of which had previously been completely under the control of the Swedish elite. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Finland owes the creation of its statehood to Russia.
Finland within the Kingdom of Sweden
It is known that before early XIX centuries, the territory of Finland, where the Sumy and Em tribes lived, never constituted an independent state. In the period from the 10th to the beginning of the 14th century, it belonged to Novgorod, but in 1323 it was conquered by Sweden and came under its control for many centuries.
According to the Orekhov Treaty concluded in the same year, Finland became part of the Kingdom of Sweden on the basis of autonomy, and in 1581 received the formal status of the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, in reality, its population was subjected to severe discrimination in legal and administrative terms. Despite the fact that the Finns had the right to delegate their representatives to the Swedish parliament, their number was so insignificant that it did not allow them to have any significant influence on the resolution of current issues. This state of affairs persisted until another Russian-Swedish war broke out in 1700.
Finland's accession to Russia: the beginning of the process
During the Northern War, the most significant events took place on Finnish territory. In 1710, the troops of Peter I, after a successful siege, captured the well-fortified city of Vyborg and thus secured access to the Baltic Sea. The next victory of the Russian troops, won four years later at the Battle of Napusa, made it possible to liberate almost the entire Grand Duchy of Finland from the Swedes.
This could not yet be considered as a complete annexation of Finland to Russia, since a significant part of it still remained part of Sweden, but the beginning of the process had been made. Even subsequent attempts to take revenge for the defeat, undertaken by the Swedes in 1741 and 1788, but both times were unsuccessful, could not stop him.
Nevertheless, under the terms of the Treaty of Nystadt, which ended the Northern War and concluded in 1721, the territories of Estonia, Livonia, Ingria, as well as a number of islands of the Baltic Sea went to Russia. In addition, the empire included Southwestern Karelia and the second largest city in Finland - Vyborg.
It became the administrative center of the soon-created Vyborg province, which was included in the St. Petersburg province. According to this document, Russia assumed obligations in all Finnish territories ceded to it to preserve the previously existing rights of citizens and the privileges of individual social groups. It also provided for the preservation of all previous religious foundations, including the freedom of the population to profess the evangelical faith, perform divine services and study in religious educational institutions.
The next stage of expansion of the northern borders
During the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1741, a new Russian-Swedish war broke out. It also became one of the stages of the process that, almost seven decades later, resulted in the annexation of Finland to Russia.
Briefly, its results can be reduced to two main points - the seizure of a significant territory of the Grand Duchy of Finland, which was under Swedish control, which allowed Russian troops to advance all the way to Uleaborg, as well as the highest manifesto that followed. In it, on March 18, 1742, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna announced the introduction of independent rule throughout the territory conquered from Sweden.
In addition, a year later, in the large administrative center of Finland - the city of Abo - the Russian government concluded an agreement with representatives of the Swedish side, according to which all of South-Eastern Finland became part of Russia. It was a very significant territory, which included the cities of Vilmanstrand, Friedrichsgam, Neyshlot with its powerful fortress, as well as the Kymenegor and Savolaki provinces. As a result of this, the Russian border moved even further away from St. Petersburg, thereby reducing the danger of a Swedish attack on the Russian capital.
In 1744, all the territories included in the agreement signed in the city of Abo were annexed to the previously created Vyborg province, and together with it formed the newly formed Vyborg province. The following counties were established on its territory: Serdobolsky, Vilmanstrandsky, Friedrichsgamsky, Neyshlotsky, Kexholmsky and Vyborgsky. In this form, the province existed until the end of the 18th century, after which it was transformed into a governorate with a special form of government.
The accession of Finland to Russia: an alliance beneficial to both states
At the beginning of the 19th century, the territory of Finland, which was part of Sweden, was an underdeveloped agricultural region. Its population at that time did not exceed 800 thousand people, of which only 5.5% lived in cities. The peasants, who were tenants of land, were subject to double oppression both from the Swedish feudal lords and from their own. This slowed down development in many ways. national culture, and self-awareness.
The annexation of Finnish territory to Russia was undoubtedly beneficial to both states. Alexander I was thus able to move the border even further away from his capital, St. Petersburg, which greatly contributed to strengthening its security.
The Finns, being under the control of Russia, received quite a lot of freedom both in the field of legislation and executive power. However, this event was preceded by the next, 11th, and last in history, the Russian-Swedish War, which broke out in 1808 between the two states.
The last war between Russia and Sweden
As is known from archival documents, the war with the Kingdom of Sweden was not part of the plans of Alexander I and was only a forced act on his part, the consequence of which was the annexation of Finland to Russia. The fact is that, according to the Tilsit Peace Treaty, signed in 1807 between Russia and Napoleonic France, the sovereign took upon himself the responsibility to persuade Sweden and Denmark to a continental blockade created against the common enemy at that time - England.
If there were no problems with the Danes, then the Swedish king Gustav IV categorically rejected the proposal put forward to him. Having exhausted all possibilities to achieve the desired result diplomatically, Alexander I was forced to resort to military pressure.
Already at the beginning of hostilities, it became obvious that, with all his arrogance, the Swedish monarch was not able to field against the Russian troops a sufficiently powerful army capable of holding the territory of Finland, where the main military operations took place. As a result of a three-pronged offensive, the Russians reached the Kaliksjoki River in less than a month and forced Gustav IV to begin negotiations for peace on terms dictated by Russia.
New title of the Russian Emperor
As a result of the Friedricham Peace Treaty - under this name the agreement signed in September 1809 went down in history, Alexander I began to be called the Grand Duke of Finland. According to this document, the Russian monarch took upon himself the obligation to assist in every possible way in the implementation of the laws adopted by the Finnish Sejm and received its approval.
This clause of the treaty was very important, since it gave the emperor control over the activities of the Diet, and made him essentially the head of the legislative branch. After Finland was annexed to Russia (1808), only with the consent of St. Petersburg was it allowed to convene the Sejm and introduce changes to the legislation that existed at that time.
From constitutional monarchy to absolutism
The annexation of Finland to Russia, the date of which coincides with the day of the announcement of the Tsar's manifesto of March 20, 1808, was accompanied by a number of very specific circumstances. Considering that Russia, according to the treaty, was obliged to provide the Finns with much of what they unsuccessfully sought from the Swedish government (the right to self-determination, as well as political and social freedoms), significant difficulties arose along this path.
It should be taken into account that previously the Grand Duchy of Finland was part of Sweden, that is, a state that had a constitutional structure, elements of separation of powers, class representation in parliament and, most importantly, the absence of serfdom among the rural population. Now the annexation of Finland to Russia made it part of a country dominated by absolute monarchy, where the very word “constitution” aroused rage among the conservative elite of society, and any progressive reforms met inevitable resistance.
Creation of a commission for Finnish affairs
We should pay tribute to Alexander I, who was able to take a rather sober look at this issue, and put his liberal protégé, Count M. M. Speransky, who became famous for his reform activities, at the head of the commission he established to solve the existing problems.
Having studied in detail all the features of life in Finland, the count recommended that the sovereign base its state structure on the principle of autonomy while preserving all local traditions. He also developed instructions intended for the work of this commission, the main provisions of which formed the basis of the future constitution of Finland.
The annexation of Finland to Russia (1808) and its further organization internal political life were largely the result of decisions made by the Borgori Sejm, with the participation of representatives of all social strata of society. After drawing up and signing the relevant document, the members of the Seimas took an oath of allegiance to the Russian emperor and the state, under the jurisdiction of which they voluntarily entered.
It is interesting to note that, upon ascending the throne, all subsequent representatives of the House of Romanov also issued manifestos certifying the annexation of Finland to Russia. A photo of the first of them, which belonged to Alexander I, is included in our article.
After joining Russia in 1808, the territory of Finland expanded somewhat due to the transfer of the Vyborg (formerly Finnish) province under its jurisdiction. State languages at that time there were Swedish, which became widespread due to the historical characteristics of the country’s development, and Finnish, which was spoken by all of its indigenous population.
The consequences of Finland's annexation to Russia turned out to be very favorable for its development and the formation of statehood. Thanks to this, for more than a hundred years, no significant contradictions arose between the two states. It should be noted that during the entire period of Russian rule, the Finns, unlike the Poles, never rebelled or tried to break away from the control of their stronger neighbor.
The picture changed radically in 1917, after the Bolsheviks, led by V.I. Lenin, granted independence to Finland. Responding to this act of goodwill with black ingratitude and taking advantage of the difficult situation inside Russia, the Finns started a war in 1918 and, having occupied the western part of Karelia up to the Sestra River, advanced to the Pechenga region, partially capturing the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas.
Such a successful start pushed the Finnish government to a new military campaign, and in 1921 they invaded Russian borders, hatching plans to create a “Greater Finland.” However, this time their successes were much less modest. The last armed confrontation between two northern neighbors - the Soviet Union and Finland - was the war that broke out in the winter of 1939-1940.
It also did not bring victory to the Finns. As a result of hostilities that lasted from late November to mid-March and the peace treaty that ended the conflict, Finland lost almost 12% of its territory, including the second largest city of Vyborg. In addition, more than 450 thousand Finns lost their housing and property and were forced to hastily evacuate from the front line into the interior of the country.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the Soviet side placed full responsibility for the start of the conflict on the Finns, citing the artillery shelling they allegedly launched, the international community accused the Stalinist government of starting the war. As a result, in December 1939 Soviet Union as an aggressor state was expelled from the League of Nations. This war made many forget all the good things that the annexation of Finland to Russia once brought with it.
Russia Day, unfortunately, is not celebrated in Finland. Instead, Finns celebrate Independence Day every year on December 6, remembering how in 1917 the Bolshevik government gave them the opportunity to separate from Russia and continue their own historical path.
Nevertheless, it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that with its current position among others European countries Finland owes a lot to the influence that Russia had in former times on its formation and acquisition of its own statehood.
Details Category: European dependent territories Published 08/23/2013 16:18 Views: 2794The Åland Islands are an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. It is an autonomous province within Finland. Same here telephone code, like Finland, but its own parliament, flag, post office, stamps and domain.
The archipelago is located at the entrance from the Baltic Sea to the Gulf of Bothnia. The Åland Islands border by sea with Finland, in the west and north-west with Sweden, including a land border on the island of Märket. The archipelago stretches 130 km from north to south and consists of 6,757 islands (of which 60 are inhabited). This is an archipelago with the largest concentration of islands on Earth. The largest of the islands of the archipelago is the island of Åland with an area of 685 km². The most high point archipelago - Orrdalsklint hill 129 m high. 
The main population of the Åland Islands are Finnish Swedes. The archipelago has a demilitarized status, which means that military installations and other objects have been liquidated on its territory and the maintenance of armed forces, erecting fortifications, performing maneuvers, etc. There is no military units, naval or air bases of the armed forces. The islands have the status of neutral territory and cannot be involved in the theater of operations in the event of armed conflicts. Unlike all other Finnish citizens, residents of the Åland Islands are not conscripted for military service. It is also prohibited to store and carry any firearms other than hunting ones (with the exception of the police).
The islands ended up in Finland because of Russia: Aland occupies a strategic position in the Baltic, from the time of Peter I they were the target of the Russian-Swedish wars, and in 1809, together with Finland, they passed to Russia under Alexander I.
State symbols
Flag- similar to the Swedish one, that is, it is a rectangular blue panel with a yellow Scandinavian cross. However, the yellow cross on the Åland flag is wider and has a red Scandinavian cross inserted into it. Approved April 7, 1954
Coat of arms– is an image of a golden deer on a blue field. On top of the shield is crowned with a pearl crown, decorated precious stones. This feature makes the coat of arms of the Åland Islands similar to the coats of arms of some regions of Finland and the official coat of arms of Sweden, which owned the islands until the beginning of the 19th century.
State structure
Form of government is an autonomous province within Finland.
Capital– Mariehamn.
The largest city– Mariehamn, the only city.
Head of the province- Governor.
Head of the government- Prime Minister.
Territory- 1,552.57 km².
Population– 30,361 people About a third of the population lives in the capital.
Currency– euro. Åland's own coins of the first half of the 1990s - dalers; they were legal tender in the Åland Islands and are accepted for exchange by banks.
Official language– Swedish.
Religion- mostly Lutherans.
Climate– moderate, cool. At the same time, Åland is one of the sunniest regions among the Nordic countries.
Administrative division– 16 communes.
Economy– fishing, dairy farming, tourism (sea resorts). 
Nature
FloraÅland is represented mainly by pine and broad-leaved (mainly ash) forests, shrubs, and meadows. Stones, greenery and a lot of water around - this is a typical Åland landscape. 
There are several reserves on the islands.
Rough rocks of unusually bizarre shapes, bays and bays with clear azure water smoothly flow into dense cloaks of coniferous and deciduous forests. The Åland Islands are beautiful wilderness with minimal traces of civilization. They have always been famous for their unique nature.
Fauna: Animals that are not afraid of people live here: unafraid hares, roe deer and moose. Predatory animals include the common fox, pine marten and others. Fishing is a popular activity on the Åland Islands. Salmon, sea taimen, pike and salmon live in local waters.
Sights of the Åland Islands
Kastelholm
Medieval castle in the municipality of Sund on the Åland archipelago. The exact date of foundation is unknown.
This is the only one medieval castle in Åland, first mentioned in chronicles in 1388 as the “House of Kastelholm”. In its modern form, it is a complex architectural complex that was built and expanded from the end of the 14th to the mid-17th centuries.
The castle flourished in the 15th-16th centuries. In the second half of the 16th century. The castle belonged to the Stenbock family, which was in opposition to the Swedish king Eric XIV. In 1599, during the internecine war for the Swedish throne, the castle was severely destroyed by the troops of King Charles IX.
In the XVII-XVIII centuries. was used as a prison. In the 20th century The castle was restored and opened to the public.
19th century fortress Founded in 1832 by the Russian Empire on the island of Åland. Destroyed in 1854 by the Anglo-French fleet during the Crimean War.
The Bomarsund fortress was supposed to be grandiose, but the technology turned out to be outdated. It was based on the principle of deep defense - several layers of ditches and earthen ramparts. Of the twelve round towers, only three were built on Bomarsund. But the fortress was quickly taken and destroyed by the British and French in 1854. Russia did not lose Aland, but the skeletons were demilitarized, and the fortress was never restored (only dismantled for building materials). Today, a highway passes through the ruins.
History of the fortress
After the end of the war of 1808-1809 and the conclusion of the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty, Finland and the Åland Islands, which previously belonged to the Kingdom of Sweden, became part of the Russian Empire. The islands became the westernmost outpost of the empire; a garrison was placed on their territory and a decision was made to build a military fort.
During 1809 all major preparatory activities for the construction of the fort were completed: the forest on the site of the fort was cut down, a new military hospital was built on the island of Prästö.
But due to Patriotic War 1812 and the death of the Russian commander Barclay de Tolly, who was responsible for the construction of Bomarsund, work on the construction of the fort had to be stopped.
In 1820, while visiting the islands, Nikolai Pavlovich, Grand Duke and inspector of fortresses, decided to resume construction and ordered new plans for the fortification of Bomarsund.
Work on the islands began in 1830 with the construction of wooden barracks and other buildings for the military contingent and prisoners sent to the island to build the fort.
In 1853, the Crimean War began, on the side Ottoman Empire England and France performed. The Baltic Sea was blocked and Bomarsund was isolated. The battle took place in August 1854, after four days of battle the fortress was taken. Later, the fortress was completely destroyed, as the British wanted to prevent Russian military activities on the islands.
In 1856, the Treaty of Paris gave the Åland Islands the status of a demilitarized zone, which remains to this day.
The fortress was never restored, although the muzzles of formidable cannons still look into the sea from the dilapidated walls.
Ekerö
An island in the Baltic Sea, located in the far west of the Åland Islands.
From 1809 to 1917 Ekerö was part of the Russian Empire and has rich history, as evidenced by Russian inscriptions on the building of the Post and Customs Office in Sturbby. Located in the center of the Swedish Empire, Eckerö became the most west bank Russian Empire. The municipality of Ekerö also includes the uninhabited island of Merket, divided equally between Sweden and Finland. The only land border on the Åland Islands with Sweden runs along it.
Prison Vita Bjorn
Prison near Kastelholm Castle in Sund. Built in 1784 and in use until 1975, one half of the house was used as an apartment for the jailer and his family, while the other was divided into cells.
In the early 1980s, the building was restored; in 1985, a prison museum was opened here, where an exhibition was organized on the development of the penitentiary (penal) system from the end of the 18th century. to 1950
City of Mariehamn
The houses in the city are predominantly wooden.
The main attraction of Marianahamin is the Church of St. George, donated to the city by shipowner August Troberg.
The Consulate of the Russian Federation on the Åland Islands can also please Russian tourists.
History of the Åland Islands
The Åland Islands were inhabited by people around the 4th millennium BC. e. (based on ceramic items found by archaeologists).
For several centuries the islands became the scene of hostilities between the states of the Baltic region: in 1714-1721. Åland was almost completely destroyed by the troops of Peter the Great, and the population of the archipelago migrated to neighboring Sweden, which until the beginning of the 19th century. exercised authority over the archipelago.
In 1809, according to the Treaty of Friedrichsham, the archipelago became part of the Russian Empire as part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. The functions of the governor of Åland were abolished.
In 1832, the Russian military fortress Bomarsund was built on the islands. During the Crimean War, the fortress was captured by British and French troops, and from 1856 the islands became a demilitarized zone.
In March 1917, after the fall of the monarchy in Russia, the population of the Åland Islands made attempts to reunite with Sweden, but on December 6, 1917, Finland declared its independence from Russia, and therefore the Åland Islands were denied the right of self-determination.
On January 4, 1918, Sweden and Russia recognized the independence of Finland, and the islands of the archipelago were included in its composition, which caused a wave of protest both among the population of the Åland Islands themselves and the mainland of Sweden.
In June 1919, a referendum was held on the status of the islands - 95.48% of Ålanders who voted expressed a desire for the archipelago to become part of Sweden. In May 1920, the Finnish Parliament granted autonomy rights to the islands, but the law was not accepted by the population of Åland, which led to the so-called Åland crisis.
With the mediation of Great Britain, the Åland Convention was signed on June 24, 1921, according to which it was decided to leave the archipelago under the control of Finland, but with the provision of broad autonomy status.
On October 20, 1921, representatives of ten states: Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Finland, France, Sweden and Estonia signed a convention on the demilitarization and neutrality of the Åland Islands in Geneva. The mentioned convention was not signed by representatives of Russia, as it was considered contrary to the interests of the Russian state.
Before World War II, Finland erected fortifications on the islands (in violation of the convention). A few years later, Finland, which participated in the war on the side of Nazi Germany, signed a trilateral agreement following the truce with the USSR and Great Britain on restoring the status of inadmissibility of military operations on the territory of the Åland Islands.
Since 1954, the Åland Islands have had their own flag, and on March 1, 1984, Åland began issuing its own postage stamps.
The Grand Duchy of Finland is a general government within the Russian Empire (1809-1917) and the Russian Republic (1917). It occupied the territory of modern Finland and part of the Karelian Isthmus (now the Leningrad region).
The Grand Duchy of Finland had broad internal and external autonomy, bordering on a personal union that was not legally secured.
In 1809-1812, the capital of the principality was the city of Abo. On April 12, 1812, Emperor Alexander I declared provincial Helsingfors the capital of the principality. As part of the Russian Empire, both cities remained predominantly Swedish-speaking. The principality used the Gregorian calendar, therefore, in the official documents of the Russian Empire concerning the principality, two dates were established (according to the Gregorian and Julian calendars).
Story
Annexation (1808-1811)
In February 1808, part of the Russian imperial army under the command of General Fedor Buxhoeveden crossed the Russian-Swedish border and began an attack on the capital of the principality, the city of Abo. It was not until March that war was officially declared. At the same time, proclamations were distributed to the population, which contained promises to guarantee the preservation of the previous religion, laws and privileges. This was a well-known tactic used when new lands were annexed. Its goal was to conclude a kind of agreement with the population of the annexed territory, according to which the conqueror received the loyalty of the population, in return confirming the preservation of the foundations.
On March 10 (22), the main Finnish city of Abo was taken without a fight. A week later, on March 16 (28), the declaration of Alexander I was published: “His Imperial Majesty announces to all European powers that from now on the part of Finland, which hitherto was called Swedish, and which Russian troops could only occupy after having survived various battles, is recognized as a region , conquered by Russian weapons, and joins the Russian Empire forever.”
And on March 20 (April 1), the emperor’s manifesto “On the conquest of Swedish Finland and its annexation to Russia forever” followed, addressed to the population of Russia. It read: “This country, conquered by Our weapons, We are annexing from now on forever to the Russian Empire, and as a result We commanded that its inhabitants take an oath of loyal citizenship to Our Throne.” The manifesto announced the annexation of Finland to Russia as a Grand Duchy. The Russian government pledged to preserve its previous laws and the Sejm.
On June 5 (17), 1808, Alexander I issued a manifesto “On the annexation of Finland.” The fighting continued until mid-September, when a truce was concluded.
Even during the war, at the end of 1808, G. M. Sprengtporten was appointed Governor-General of Finland. On December 1, a plan was adopted for the establishment in Tavastehus, taken in March 1808, of a special Committee of the Main Administration.
In February 1809, the Russian Emperor ordered the convening of a Sejm in the city of Borgo - an estate meeting of representatives of the peoples of Finland. On March 16, Alexander I personally opened it, having signed the manifesto on the eve of state structure Finland. At the opening of the Sejm, Alexander I, sitting on a special throne, said French a speech in which, among other things, he said: “I promised to preserve your constitution (French votre constitution), your fundamental laws; your meeting here certifies the fulfillment of my promises.” The next day, members of the Sejm took an oath that “they recognize as their sovereign Alexander I the Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, the Grand Duke of Finland, and will preserve the indigenous laws and constitutions (fr. lois fondementales et constitutions) of the region in the form they currently exist.” times exist." The Sejm was asked four questions - about the army, taxes, coins and the establishment of a government council; after discussion, their deputies were dissolved. The conclusions of the Sejm formed the basis for organizing the administration of the region, although not all petitions of zemstvo officials were satisfied. Regarding the army, it was decided to preserve the settlement system. Regarding the tax and financial system of the grand duchy in general, the emperor announced that they would be used only for the needs of the country itself. The Russian ruble is the accepted monetary unit.
At the same time, in early March 1809 Russian troops captured the Åland Islands and planned to move the fighting to the Swedish coast. On March 13, a coup d'etat took place in Sweden, Swedish troops capitulated. A new, so-called Åland Truce, was concluded between the Swedish and Russian commanders-in-chief. However, Alexander I did not approve it and the war continued until September 1809, ending with the Treaty of Friedrichsham.
According to the actual results of the advance of the Russian army, the Kingdom of Sweden ceded to Russia six fiefs (provinces) in Finland and the eastern part of Westerbothnia (from Uleaborg County to the Tornio and Muonio rivers), as well as the Åland Islands, into the “eternal” possession of the Russian Empire. According to the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty, the newly conquered region became “the property and sovereign possession of the Russian Empire.” Even before the conclusion of peace, in June 1808, there was an order to summon deputies from the nobility, clergy, townspeople and peasants to submit opinions on the needs of the country. Arriving in St. Petersburg, the deputies submitted a memorial to the sovereign, in which they outlined several wishes of an economic nature, having previously indicated that, not being representatives of the entire people, they could not enter into the judgments belonging to the zemstvo officials, convened in the usual and legal manner.
Grand Duchy of Finland under Alexander I (1811-1825)
In 1811, the Finnish Bank was established; he received a modern structure based on control and guarantee of zemstvo officials, which the Borgo Sejm petitioned for only in 1867. A government council was placed at the head of local administrative institutions, which in 1816 was transformed into the Imperial Finnish Senate. The general change in the policy of Alexander I was reflected in Finnish affairs by the fact that Diets were no longer convened.
Reign of Nicholas I
During the reign of Nicholas I, the country was governed by local authorities on the basis of local laws, but the Sejm was never convened. This did not constitute a violation of Finnish laws, since the frequency of the Sejm was established only by the Sejm statute of 1869. Avoiding major reforms, the government could govern without the Diet, taking advantage of the very broad rights granted to the crown in the field of so-called economic legislation. In some urgent cases, they did without the Sejm even when the participation of the latter was necessary. So, in 1827 it was allowed to accept public service persons of the Orthodox faith who have acquired the rights of Finnish citizenship. In the highest resolution on this, however, there is a reservation that this measure is carried out administratively due to its urgency and the impossibility “now” of convening zemstvo officials.
In March 1831, Nicholas I ordered the division of the Grand Duchy of Finland into 8 provinces. At the same time, 4 provinces remained within the same borders: Abosko-Bjorneborgskaya (Abo), Vyborgskaya (Vyborg), Vazaskaya (Vaza) and Uleoborgsko-Kayanskaya (Uleaborg), and 4 were formed: Nylandskaya (Helsingfors), Tavastguskaya (Tavastgus), St. Michelska (St. Michel) and Kuopioska (Kuopio).
In December 1831, Nicholas I appointed the head of the Main Naval Staff, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov, to the post of Governor-General of Finland. In 1833, the emperor granted Menshikov and all his descendants Finnish citizenship.
During the Crimean War, the allied fleet bombarded Sveaborg, took the fortress of Bomarsund on the Åland Islands and devastated the shores of Österbothnia. The population and the leading circles of intelligent society remained loyal to Russia.
National and language policy
The reign of Nicholas I, poor in reforms, was rich in phenomena of mental life. National self-awareness awoke in Finnish educated society. Some signs of such an awakening were discovered at the end of the 18th century (historian Portan); but only after Finland was separated from Sweden and took, in the words of Alexander I, “a place among nations,” could a national movement begin in it. It was called phenomania. According to the conditions of the time, Fennomanism took a literary and scientific direction. The movement was led by Professor Snellman, the poet Runeberg, the Kalevala collector Lönnrot and others. Later, the opponents of the Fennomans in the political arena became the Svekomans, who defended the rights of the Swedish language as an instrument of Swedish cultural influence.
After 1848, the Finnish national movement was suspected, without justification, of demagogic tendencies and was persecuted. It was forbidden to print books in Finnish; an exception was made only for books of religious and agricultural content (1850); soon, however, this order was canceled.
In general, despite the privileges reserved for the Swedish elite under the terms of the peace treaty of 1809, the Russian government feared revanchist tendencies in Sweden. In 1809-1812, the capital of the principality was the predominantly Swedish-speaking city of Turku in the southwest of the country. In order to weaken the influence of Sweden, the Russian emperor decided to move the capital to the city of Helsinki on the southern coast of the country. The new capital was located 300 km from St. Petersburg (as the crow flies), while the distance to Turku in a straight line was about 450 km.
Reforms of Alexander II and Alexandra III
In 1856, Emperor Alexander II personally presided over one of the Senate meetings and outlined a number of reforms. Carrying out most of the latter required the participation of zemstvo officials. They started talking about this in society and the press, and then the Senate, on one particular occasion, spoke out in favor of convening the Sejm. At first, it was decided to convene a commission of 12 representatives from each estate instead of the Sejm. However, this order made a very unfavorable impression in the region. The public excitement subsided after the official clarification that the commission’s competence was limited to preparing government proposals for the future Sejm.
The commission met in 1862 and is known as the January Commission (Finnish: Tammikuun valiokunta).
In September 1863, the Emperor personally opened the Diet with a speech in French, in which he said: “You, representatives of the Grand Duchy, will have to prove by the dignity, calm and moderation of your debates that in the hands of a wise people... liberal institutions, far from being dangerous, become a guarantee order and security."
Subsequently, many important reforms were carried out. In 1863, an order was issued on the initiative of Snellman to introduce Finnish language into official records, for which a 20-year period is established. In 1865, the Finnish mark was untied from the Russian ruble; The Finnish bank was transformed and placed under the control and guarantees of zemstvo officials. In 1866, the reform of public schools took place, the main figure of which was Uno Cygneus. In 1869, the Sejm Charter (actually a constitution) was published.
In 1877, the Diet adopted a statute on conscription for Finland. Sejms were convened every five years. The Reformation era was marked by an extraordinary revival of political and social life, as well as a rapid rise in general well-being and culture.
At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Alexander III, some measures were taken that were decided in principle or conceived during the previous reign: Finnish military units were formed, the Sejm received the right to initiate legislative issues (1886). Zemstvo officials convened every three years.
On June 13, 1884, the “Rules on parochial schools” were approved for all dioceses of the Empire, except for Riga, as well as the Grand Duchy of Finland.
Russification of Finland
At the end of the 1880s, the government's policy towards Finland changed. In 1890, the Finnish Postal and Telegraph Office was subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior. At the end of the same year, the suspension of the criminal code adopted by the Sejm and approved by the emperor followed. In 1897, the Central Statistical Committee conducted the first general population census throughout the Russian Empire, with the exception of the Principality of Finland.
In 1898, Adjutant General N.I. Bobrikov was appointed Governor-General of Finland. In his person, the unification policy found an energetic executor on the spot. The Manifesto of June 20, 1900 introduced the Russian language into the office work of the Senate and local main departments. Provisional regulations on 2 July 1900 placed public meetings under the direct control of the Governor-General.
During the reign of Nicholas II, a policy was adopted aimed at the Russification of Finland. First, an attempt was made to force the Finns to do military service in the Russian army. When the Sejm, which had previously made concessions, rejected this demand, General Bobrikov introduced military courts. The period of Governor-General Bobrikov's reign, known under the emotional name “years of oppression,” ended with his assassination in the summer of 1904, and he found his political conclusion in the general strike held in the fall of 1905.
Revolutionary upsurge of 1905-1907.
The Russian Revolution of 1905 coincided with the rise of the Finnish national liberation movement, and all of Finland joined the All-Russian Strike. Political parties, especially the Social Democrats, took part in this movement and put forward their reform program. Nicholas II was forced to repeal decrees limiting Finnish autonomy. In 1906, a new democratic election law was passed, which gave women the right to vote. Finland became the first country in Europe (and second in the world, after New Zealand) to give women the right to vote. With the establishment of universal suffrage, the number of voters in the country increased 10 times, the old four-estate Sejm was replaced by a unicameral parliament. After the suppression of the revolution in 1907, the emperor once again tried to consolidate the previous policy by introducing military rule, which lasted until 1917.
Revolution of 1917
After February Revolution in Russia in March 1917, the privileges of Finland, lost after the 1905 revolution, were renewed. A new governor-general was appointed and a diet was convened. However, the law on the restoration of the autonomous rights of Finland, approved by the Sejm on July 18, 1917, was rejected by the Provisional Government, the Sejm was dissolved, and its building was occupied by Russian troops.
On September 1 (14), 1917, the Provisional Government of Russia adopted a resolution, according to which a bourgeois-democratic Russian Republic was proclaimed on the territory of the Russian Empire and the monarchical method of government in Russia was finally eliminated (until the convocation of Constituent Assembly). The fundamental law of Finland, defining the supreme power, remained the law of 1772, on the contrary, which affirmed absolutism. The same law in 38§ provided for the election of a new supreme power (“new dynasty”) by the House of Representatives in the absence of a contender, which was subsequently used.
However, despite this, the Provisional Government continued to consider Finland as part of Russia and on September 4 (17), 1917 they appointed a new Governor-General of Finland, Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov, and on September 8 the last Finnish Senate was formed, which had Russian control over it - the Senate Setalya.
After the Bolsheviks came to power, Finland gained independence.
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