Savonlinna

We did not go anywhere on Thursday and rested in the camping...
But on Friday, July 15, 2016, we decided to go to the city of Savonlinna.

The city is located about 30 km from the campsite, in the heart of the lake system of Saimaa...

This resort town with an ancient history is located on the islands, which are connected by bridges.
It's the "Finnish Venice".

You can have a good rest here, have been walking along the streets near the lake and riding on the ship on Saimaa...

The city has museums, churches and monuments, but the main attraction and symbol of Savonlinna is the medieval fortress of Olavinlinna (the castle of St. Olaf).

It is thanks to the ancient history of the city, its sights and amazing nature, thousands of tourists come from all over the world to Savonlinna every year.
We were not an exception, too...

We left the car in the parking lot and went for a walk around the city...

A dome of the church was appeared ahead, near the road...

It's the Pikkukirkko - a Little Church...

This is Orthodox church in Savonlinna was built in 1846.
In 1938 the building of a wooden church became the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
But in 2012 the Little church became an Orthodox Church again...
And the church does not work until now.

The building of the opera festival is located not far from the church Pikkukirkko.
The international opera festival in the city of Savonlinna (Savonlinna Opera Festival) is the oldest musical opera festival in Finland.
The festival takes place annually in the summer (since 1912) in the castle of St. Olaf.
http://www.operafestival.fi/en

The number of people were becoming more in the streets, we were approaching to the railway station of the city...

Near the station - the embankment of the city and dozens of yachts and boats on the water...

Here we saw an interesting historical poster dedicated to Aleksander Sikio and his wife, their wooden house was on this place.
The family was very fond of their city...

If you want a snack - this will not be a problem...
We had lunch here...

And now, along the embankment towards the center...

There is a monument in the garden, near the embankment by the lake.
This is a monument to the Finnish writer Joel Lehtonen.
He was born in Savonlinna and lived here most of his life.
The library of the city is named after him - "Joeli".

We saw the spire of the tower in the park among the trees...
It is the Cathedral of the City of Savonlinna (Savonlinna Cathedral).

The Cathedral is located in the center of the city, on top of a hill, about 1 km away from the castle Olavinlinna.
The spire of its church tower, 51 meters high, can be seen from anywhere in the city.

The Savonlinna Cathedral is a Lutheran church, it was built in 1874 - 1878.
The church became the Cathedral in 1896.
The church is built in neo-Gothic style from red brick.

The building of the Cathedral was badly damaged during the years of the Finnish-Soviet war (1939-1940), during a Soviet air raid on March 1, 1940.
The church was rebuilt in 1947-1948 and reopened on December 4, 1949.
The Monument with the names of the dead is set next to the Cathedral, in memory of the victims of the war...

Let's go inside the Cathedral...
The building can accommodate 1000 people.

The interior is made in light colors, but murals are only in the altar part.

The frescoes of flying angels are on the ceiling...

The old organ was replaced by a new one in 1990-1991...
The structure of the church organ has 45 registers.

Next to the Cathedral, in the park Kirkkopuisto there is a very interesting and ambiguous granite monument to the heroes of the Civil War - The Hero's Grave.
The monument was created in 1921 and was dedicated to soldiers who died in the years of the First World War.

The soldier's nakedness (next to the temple) and his Roman helmet was the subject of the debate in Savonlinna for a long time.

We leave the church park Kirkkopuisto...

We are going to the city center, to Lake Saimaa, to the fortress of St. Olaf.

We cross the bridge and enter the tourist zone...

Yes, this is a real resort! "Monterey" on Saimaa!

We walked to the castle of Olavinlinna and the number of tourists increased...

And finally, we saw the fortress of Olavinlinna - the castle of St. Olaf.
http://www.kansallismuseo.fi/en/olavinlinna-castle

Savonlinna - one of the oldest settlements in Finland.
The history of the city is closely connected with the fortress of Olavinlinna.
The settlement of Savonlinna was founded by the Swedes in the 15th century, in 1475.
They built a powerful fortress on the island, which protected them from eastern neighbors.

This fortress was named Olavinlinna (the fortress of St. Olaf).

The area around the fortress was quickly populated and in 1639 Savonlinna became a city.

The fortress took part in the battles, passed from hand to hand and was rebuilt many times in its centuries-old history.
During the Russian-Swedish wars, the fortress belonged to Sweden, then to tsarist Russia.

The fortress located on an island in the middle of Saimaa, was always a barrier to the enemy.
Because you can get to the fortress only by the bridge...

Let's see what is there, beyond the gate...

Rising up the steps, we were in the fortress court yard.

The time and battles had left marks on the fortress walls...

You can go down on the narrow stone steps...

Or to go upstairs...

Narrow winding tunnels lead to the inner halls.

You will see knights in armor and hear the sound of swords there...

You will see different layouts and artifacts and learn a lot of interesting things about the fortress and the castle.

This is a medieval dining room...

The Middle Ages are very harmoniously combined with the present: the castle has modern cafes and restrooms.
Very good acoustics are here, and therefore annual opera festivals are held.

These stairs lead to the fortress wall.

Here the defenders of the fortress were meeting the enemy...

You can try to imagine how it was...

And to drink a cup of coffee near the castle wall, admiring the surroundings...

The Savonlinna Provincial Мuseum is located on the neighboring island and is clearly visible from the fortress wall and we will go there.

The black ram escorts us at the exit from the fortress...
The sculpture "Musta passi (Black Ram)" was installed on the 325th anniversary of the city of Savonlinna, in 1964...
The legend says that the ram was a sacrifice every year on July 29 - the day of St. Olaf.
In 1656, Russian troops encircled the fortress...
But they retreated in panic when they saw a ram that stood on its hind legs on the fortress wall.
The inhabitants of the city believe that the statue of a ram brings good luck, you must touch the animal's horns...

And here is the Savonlinna Provincial Museum...
It is located next to the fortress, on the small island of Riihisaari, in the building of the former grain barn.

Two-story building was built in 1853.
And the museum opened in 1984.

The Provincial Museum is the center of the history, culture and nature of Saima, of the South Savo region of Finland...
On the ground floor of the museum there is a permanent exhibition...
Mobile exhibitions are on the second floor...

The exhibits will tell you about the history of the city, about the customs and life of local people, about the history of crafts and of course about the nature of Saima.

You will learn how the people were fishing on Saimaa...

How people extracted and transported a coal...

How people kept drinks in barrels ... and made matches...

And what kind of ships sailed along Saimaa...

You will see how the life of people has changed over the past centuries...

You will like the outfits of past days and perhaps, you will buy a small souvenir in a museum shop.

A visiting the Savonlinna Provincial Museum does not take much time and in an hour we were already on the waterfront, in front of the Castle of St. Olaf.

And then, we were walking slowly to the car along the quiet old streets of Savonlinna...