The Suomenlinna fortress is located on one of the eight islands in the district,
located 4 kilometers southeast of Helsinki’s city center and a popular tourist destination. The fortress was originally named Seaborg, which means castle of the Swedes in Swedish. But was renamed in 1918 for patriotic reasons.
Construction on the Suomenlinna fortress began in 1748 by the Swedish crown, to serve as a form of protection against the Russian expansion of the time. Augustin Ehrensvärd was in charge of the fortification but the original plans held a strong influence from the ideas of Vauban, a well-known military engineer of the time. But it was surrendered to the Russians in 1808, which paved the way for the Russian occupation of Finland a year later, who held the fortress until Finland became independent in 1917. Because of it’s historic value, Suomenlinna fortress became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
