Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Writing on Finland

Another group of students wrote papers on Finnish nature and our heritage. You can find them in the comments - section.
- Anja Moilanen

21 comments:

medinahaukipudas said...

Old Rauma

Old Rauma is an old and densely built part of a town located in the center of Rauma. Old Rauma is the area of 28 hectares. It includes 250 plots of land and about 600 old wooden houses on them. Oldest houses are from the 18th century and the church “Pyhän Ristin kirkko” is from 15th century.
In 16th century the city burned many times but last big fire was in 1682. In addition to the church there are sights such as the old city hall and the art museum of Rauma. You can also find Kitukränn, the narrowest street in Finland there in old Rauma.
- by Anton

medinahaukipudas said...

Petäjävesi Old Church

It is a wooden church located in Petäjävesi in Finland. The church was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. Petäjävesi Old Church was built between 1763 and 1765. The Lutheran Church is a typical example of an architectural tradition in eastern Scandinavia. There are mixed Renaissance and older Gothic elements.
Petäjävesi Old Church has conserved its original outfit and décor very well.
Furthermore, it is a really famous wedding church. The church is remarkable to residents of Petäjävesi, because the church was built by the village’s own power. In addition, the church works as a museum, because there you can feel touch history of Finland.
- by Iiris

medinahaukipudas said...

Fortress Suomenlinna

Suomenlinna was included in UNESCO World Heritage list in 1991. It's an important monument of military architechture and it was build under Swedish rule in the mid 18th century. In 1808 Suomenlinna was given up to Russian army. In 1918 after Finland's civil war the fortress was used as prison camp. Originally fortress was named as Sveaborg but after civil war it was given name Suomenlinna. In 1973 the military period of the fortress came to its end and now Suomenlinna is taken care by the Ministry of Education

Because of military use, the buildings of Suomenlinna are in very good condition. Suomenlinna is part of Helsinki city and has its own postal code, there also live 850 inhabitants there. The only way to get to Suomenlinna is by ferry or boat.

Suomenlinna is one of the most popular sights in Finland especially in summertime.
-by Riku

medinahaukipudas said...

Bronze age burial site of Sammallahdenmäki

Burial site of Sammalahdenmäki is one of the world heritage sites of UNESCO and it was designated in 1999.

Sammallahdenmäki has 33 burial cairns and you can find it in lower Satakunta in the village of Kivikylä.

Sammallahdenmäki has two unique cairns that bear the name ’’Kirkonlaattia and ’’Huilun pitkä raunio’’. The story tells that the ’’goblins’’ built the Kirkonlaattia which is a very important part of the burial site. Kirkonlaattia is square-formed and it’s amazingly flat even if it’s built with rocks. The other burial cairn Huilun pitkä raunio is a very long wall-like cairn surrounded by a stone wall. These cairns are unique because you sure won’t see them anywhere else.

Sammallahdenmäki is a great example of Finland’s bronze age culture because of its ancient monuments in well-preserved environment.
-by Siiri

medinahaukipudas said...

Why is nature so important to Finns?

Finland is known as The Land of Tens of Thousands of Lakes. In midsummer tourists come here to see the midnight sun. We have a chance to enjoy beautiful nature of Lapland. In our nature there still remain lots of wild animals. There is always white Christmas in Finland. The list could go on and on with more good examples of why Finland’s nature is so extraordinary. But why is nature so important to us Finns that we always try to spell it with a capital letter and definite article?
In the history of our nation Finns have always been strongly combined with our beautiful nature. In fact, nature is part of our cultural heritage. I think that the answer to the question about importance of our nature is as simple as that – we depend on it or at least we used to. Over the centuries nature has provided us with food. First we fished and hunted, then came the silvi- and agriculture. Because Finland is so far away from Britain and Central Europe, our country was industrialized quite late and that’s also why we haven’t been weaned from nature like perhaps some other nations. I guess that because our forefathers were so close with nature the valuation of nature has become part of our national character and it’s not going to vanish away from our DNA.
Since our urban culture is years away from the metropolis of Europe even our generation has been raised to respect and enjoy nature. Even though we nowadays have large cities and we are starting to become more urban in my opinion, the importance of nature is not going to fade. It’s in our blood. It defines who we are and where we come from. I really hope that being one with the nature is part of that legacy which also our generation will pass on to our children.

-by Samuli Pehkonen

medinahaukipudas said...

Finnish winter

Finland is known for snow and cold winters. Many times I have heard when a foreigner asks how can we live here. Of course it’s a bit cold in winter, but with good clothin, everyone can survive here.

Finnish winter provides many activities for all ages. Alpine skiing, cross country skiing and skating might be the most popular winter sports. Making the winter’s first snowman with family is highlight for many kids. Also children like to play in snow and it’s not a miracle if you see a bit older person romping and giggling in snow drift.

The coldest part of winter starts after New Year. It lasts somewhere between March and April, and then the temperature starts to rise. Winter is also a very dark season in Finland. Daylight lasts only a couple of hours and in Northern Finland dominates the polar night. At that time, the sun doesn’t rise at all. Darkness causea melancholy for some people, but snow and upcoming spring cheer them up.

-by Jaakko

medinahaukipudas said...

Finnish national animal

The Finnish national animal is the brown bear. It is the largest of European carnivores. In Finland there are approximately 900-1300 bears and here most of the bear population is centered in East. In the winter you can`t see the lord of the woods because it is at the state of hibernating. The bear stays in sleep about six months. In nature a bear can live even 30 years.

Ages ago the bear was a feared animal but also sacred and valued. A story tells that the bear came from the sky, from the Big Dipper constellation. It also has many other names in Finnish like otso, ohto and kontio.

-by Karoliina

medinahaukipudas said...

Finnish nature

I think that Finnish nature is exceptionally beautiful. If you travel abroad, they always want to know something about the nature of your land. You can say that Finland is a flat land: there are no mountains at all. However, there are a lot of plants in Finland: 800 moss species and over 1000 lichen species, for example. The most usual trees are pine, fir and birch.

The fauna of Finland is very typical for the Northern conifereous woods and the most usual animals are bear, wolf, moose and reindeer. There are over 60 mammal species in Finland, the most usual of them are fox, squirrel and rabbit.

Why do I think that Finland is a beautiful land? I like Finland, because it’s a flat land and it’s quite rare. I like the woods of Finland, too. Especially the conifereous ones.

- by Toni

medinahaukipudas said...

The old church of Petäjävesi

Petäjävesi old church is a wooden church. It was built from 1763 until 1765. The church is located in Petäjävesi, Finland. The churches architect and builder was Jaakko Klemetinpoika Leppänen. The bell tower was built by Erkki Leppänen who was the grandson of Jaakko Klemetinpoika Leppänen in 1821.

The church is a symmetrical cross church. When the church was not used it was uncared-for many years. Only cemetery which is around the church and the bell tower were in use. In 1920 Austrian art historian Josef Strzygowski noticed churche’s historical value. Since 1929 the church has been repaired many times. The old church of Petäjävesi was accepted as a UNESCO world heritage landmark in 1994. The church is also an excellent example of a Lutheran country church built of logs and a typical example of an architectural tradition unique to eastern Scandinavia.

-by Anni M

medinahaukipudas said...

Suomenlinna

The Fortress of Suomenlinna is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Finland. It was inscribed in 1991. It is historically very important; sometimes you can see that it’s called the Gibraltar of the North.

Suomenlinna has gone through very hard times. At first, it was built as Sweden’s Fortress against the Russians. Next, while Finland was under the Russian rule, the fortress was used as a defence against the West. In 1918, after Finland became independent, Suomenlinna was owned by a Finnish garrison and, after the Civil War, it was used as a prison camp. The fortress served as a military stronghold as long as 1973.
Nowadays Suomenlinna is a very popular tourist and recreation centre. It’s part of Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and it is home to the Naval Academy; like a memory of those old times. Today there are over 800 residents and about 400 jobs in Suomenlinna. In 2000 the fortress got Europe Nostra award because of the quality of its restoration.

-by Sofia

medinahaukipudas said...

The Church of Haukipudas

In my opinion, the church of Haukipudas should be one of the World Heritage sites in Finland. The church is old, it was built in 1762. The church is also one of the most popular sights in Haukipudas. The belfry was built in 1751. Mikael Toppelius painted the paintings inside of the church. Paintings are also worth seeing. The most known painting is “Viimeinen tuomio”, The Last Judgement. It is so impressive that the church deserves to be a World Heritage site. The building is beautiful, old-fashioned and full of feeling. It is one of the old and active churches in Finland and it should be better known in Finland. The church lies on the river shore, so the location is also great.
-by Marika

medinahaukipudas said...

Kivalos Kivalos is a hill range in Lapland in Finland. It starts from border of the towns Kemi and Simo and ends to upper-Kemiriver side. I find Kivalos important to me, because I, my dad, and nearly all my relatives live or have lived in Puukkokumpu, alongside Kivalos, and I spent almost every vacation there, in my granny’s place, when I was a kid. Puukkokumpu is one part of Keminmaa, very near Tervola and Simo.

Nature of Kivalos is amazing! That’s why Kivalos should be a World heritage Site. It is like a real wilderness: untouched nature (if you don’t count that there was a ski resort back in 1980-1990), wild animals and wonderful views. The nature there is magical, especially in winters. Like straight from Narnia or Twilight.

Many don’t even know what or where Kivalos are. There is also Martimoaapa which is a marsh-protection area. There you can adore Finnish nature when it is at its best! One way to see Kivalos is from Border to border- skiing event. There people ski from Kuusamo (from the Finnish east border) to Tornio (to Finnish west border). The Border to border track travels close to Kivalos.

So experiencing Kivalos is the best way to see what Finnish nature really is like!

- by Essi

medinahaukipudas said...

Finnish nature

Nature is a very important element for Finnish people. Biggest part of our nature is forest and bodies of water. Of course we have also cities, villages and fields in Finland.

We have got four seasons in Finland: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring is my favourite. Then nature is waking up and summer is coming. Summer is warm and bright in Finland. Autumn is a very depressing and dark season. I hate autumn very much. Winter is nice in Finland. We have snow and the temperature can drop down to over minus thirteen degrees Celcius.

Finnish nature is beautiful and interesting. I like it very much. It is one of the most important things in Finland and my life.

-by Aku-Ville

medinahaukipudas said...

Finnish nature

For me nature is very important. Everyday I need to get something else to think about besides school and work. What would be a better place to get something else to think about than outdoors? You can go outdoors with your friends or by yourself. It doesn’t matter so much as long as you have fun while being outdoors.

Usually I go out with dogs and we go into the woods. In winter we go walk on the ice of the river or sea and dogs go crazy because they see just snow and ice. It’s so beautiful when the sun is shining and dogs are running around me when everything else is white. Sometimes my friends and I take snowmobiles and ride them on the ice and that is so much fun! Sunny winter mornings are so unbelievably wonderful that you don’t want to miss those. The rising sun shines onto the snow and snow reflects the sunshine back up in the air and nature is so full of light. And when you get outdoors you can hear birds singing happily. It can be very cold sometimes but with the right kind of clothes you can have fun outdoors even in -20°C.

Spring is beautiful too. Snow melts and plants start to grow. Little by little nature gets more colourful and animals start to move more. And before you even realize it is already summer. Birds are more lively and you can see more and more of them. You will see more people outdoors walking, jogging and riding bikes. Temperature can rise up to 25°C and even more sometimes. So it’s not always cold in Finland.

In every season you can see wildlife. You can see different birds, squirrels, rabbits, weasels and some other small animals. And of course you can see other people, walking with their kids and dogs, riding, skiing, swimming and so on. In Haukipudas where I live, you can go into the woods and to the shores of the sea or river. It's great to have so much nature around so you can escape your everydaylife and cars and houses to somewhere more peaceful.
-by Elisa

medinahaukipudas said...

Carnivores in Finland

Finland’s fauna is typical for the northern taiga area. We have a lot of carnivores in our nature. Finland is a long country so we have many vegetation zones. Accordingly, there are not only flat fields but also hills up to one kilometre high. So we have many kinds of habitats also. Consequently, it's pretty warm in summer (15-25 C) but in winter temperatures are between 0 C and minus 35 C. Accordingly, we have wild animals that endure Finland's cruel climate.

Here are some good examples of typical Finnish carnivores.There are 15 species of carnivores in Finland. The biggest is brown bear and it's quite common. Brown bear can weigh over 300kg. We have also grey wolves but unfortunately they are endangered. Wolves are herd animals and they irritate some stock raisers by killing sheep and reindeer. We have only one feline, Eurasian lynx, but it's quite common. It's a pretty small solitaire, it weighs about 25kg.

Furthermore, we have another nuisance for the stock raisers, wolverine. That's why wolverine is rare here in Finland. Wolverine is real solitaire and it lives in Lapland, Finland. We have also lot of smaller predators, for example: red fox, arctic fox, pine marten, European badger and otter.

I recommend that you watch some pictures in the internet to see what these animals look like. You can also come to Finland and go on a carnivore safari to see brown bear in nature.
-by Heikki

medinahaukipudas said...

Four seasons

Finland is not only a country of snow and darkness. There are four different seasons in Finland, and all of them have their special features.

At the moment of writing this, the current season is fall. It’s the season of rain and darkness, but there is also a lot of beauty in it. Leaves of trees change color into warm shades and in the mornings everything is covered with frost. Fall is metaphorically the death of nature, and not only plants but animals as well get ready for winter.

Winter may be the most characteristic season of Finland. In winter, Finland is filled with tourists who want to see snow and do downhill skiing. Christmas is the highlight of winter, and as you already know, Santa Claus does live in Finland, in Lapland to be precise. Lapland is also known for its northern lights and polar night which are phenomena best experienced in the north side of polar circle.

In spring, snow starts to melt, days get brighter and brighter and nature comes back to life little by little. This progress reaches its climax in summer, when nature blooms and days are sunny. At the same time, people come out from their nests to enjoy the sun. Summer is also the season of different festivals and events. Popular music festivals are held around Finland and people entertain themselves by going to amusement parks or shopping at marketplaces.

The four constantly changing seasons of Finland are a fortune, keeping boredom at bay. First snow always maintains as a wonderful happening, and springlike sun always cheers up after a long winter. Seasons give us variety, and that is the greatest thing about them.

-by Samuli Pitzén

medinahaukipudas said...

Our unique four season

I like every season that we have in Finland because all of them have their own special features. Most of my friends like just one season - summer. The other seasons are left without attention and it is sad to notice that they don’t see every season's unique.

I like fall because it is the most colourful season of the year, but not the brightest. Winter is too long but most I wait the fanscinating freezing weather like -25 degrees Celcius and nature is all over white because of the snow. It is dark but fortunately candels can help and they also create lovely atmosphere.

Then comes spring and migratory birds and longer days. Snow starts to melt and it is the smell how you can feel that summer is coming. And finally the most waited season: summer. Everywhere it is green, sunny and warm. People are happier and meet each other more, take part in summer happenings around Finland and enjoy their lives. Our summer is not so hot or sunny, but at least warm, cloudy and enjoyable.

So now the year has gone around and also four wonderful seasons. I wish that now you can understand why I prize and like so much every season as every Finn should. -by Jenni

Unknown said...

Fortress Suomenlinna

Suomenlinna is located in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It was built on six islands, Kustaanmiekka, Susisaari, Iso-Mustasaari, Pikku-Mustasaari, Länsi-Mustasaari and Långören. People have to go there by ferry.

Its construction work was started in 1748 as protection against Russian expansionism.

Suomenlinna is very popular and famous sight in Finland. Almost hundred thousands people visit there in year. It was known as Viapori until 1918. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. There is also a little village with 798 people.

Many conserts and cultural happenings are organized there. There are also a lot of cafes and restaurants. Suomenlinna is also very famous for its recreation places, especially in summer and there are many lovely places for picnics.
- by Anni-Reeta and Saija

Unknown said...

Suomenlinna (Fortress of Finland) is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991. Suomenlinna's construction began in 1784. Suomenlinna was known until 1918 as Viapori.

In Helsinki archipelago located Suomenlinna is a historical monument, one of the world's great maritime fortresses. Suomenlinna has an area of 210 ha. The walls are about 8 km and in Suomenlinna there are 105 cannons.

Suomenlinna is also one of Finland's most popular attractions. Every year hundreds of thousands tourists go to visit there. Popular attractions in Suomenlinna are the King's Gate (it was a picture in thousand mark banknotes in 1986-2002), the big castle's garden, Suomenlinna's church (built-up 1850–1854) and submarine Vesikko. The tunnels are also very popular.
- by Emilia

Unknown said...

Nature in Lapland

Nature in Finland is very beautiful and many-sided because of four seasons. In the northern part of Finland you can see especially well the variation of seasons. Snowy winters and quite warm summers are typical for Lapland. Lapland is a very famous resort and you can do lots of things there. People from all over the world want to go there and experience closeness of nature. You can see Finnish wild animals, like reindeer, there. So do not forget to take binoculars with you if you travel to Lapland.

Winter is very long in Lapland. It can last even 200 days. Usually it starts in mid-October. Winters can be very cold and temperatures can even drop to -50°C. The cold weather attracts northern lights to the dark sky. Christmas time is the darkest. The sun doesn't rise above the horizon and there are only a few hours of daylight. During the winter there is a thick snow drift. There can be even a metre of snow. You should absolutely ski in Lapland.

After winter the sun starts to melt the snow drifts and nature awakes. Nature begins to prepare for summer. Summer is bright and warm. The sun stays above the horizon even at night. July is the warmest month in Lapland. Temperatures are usually from 10 to 16 degrees.

Autumn is time of fall colours. Leaves of trees change colour from green to yellow and red. In autumn you can pick blueberries, lingonberries, cranberries and cloudberries and mushrooms in Lapland.

Lapland is very beatiful during every season. It is so amazing to see how nature changes. In Lapland you also have great opportunities to go in for sport and at the same time you can enjoy beauty of nature.

-By Iina H.

Source: http://www.laplandfinland.com

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