Since time immemorial, wood-heated saunas have been part of the Russian and Finnish tradition, providing a location in which people wash, relax and rid themselves of vermin. Consequently, it was only natural that several saunas were built in the Viapori fortress for use by the Military Administration, the Army and the Maritime Administration. The sauna building on the island of Pikku-Mustasaari was completed in 1904, and was used as a laundry and sauna of the Naval War Hospital which was heated using steam – a modern method – instead of wood.

 

The sauna building on the island of Pikku-Mustasaari

 

In the 19th century, attention was paid not only to the general healthiness of barracks but also to soldiers’ personal hygiene. These were important measures, aimed at preventing the spread of diseases and vermin. For general cleanliness, the rank and file also needed saunas. Clothing supply required that washing houses were available. The older sauna building was built between 1844 and 1845 on the western shore of Pikku-Mustasaari for use by the Naval Warfare Administration. The building housed two saunas. In 1873, the sauna was enlarged by half of its original length, with a room and kitchen being added to it for use by a tenant. The tenant was a civilian who sold sauna services to the garrison of the fortress. Large washrooms, changing rooms and steam rooms for the entire garrison were built in the building. In the steam room and washroom, new tarmac floors were laid, and all the stoves were rebuilt. On the eastern wall, in the old vestibule, a new well was dug, into which sea water was led for washing.

 

Cleanliness through technical installations

 

In the laundry and sauna building of the Naval War Hospital, built between 1902 and 1904, two small steam rooms were built for officers and non-commissioned officers. The two saunas built for the rank and file accommodated 70 men. Initially, plans targeted to modernise make the Naval War Hospital modern. Textiles to be washed would have been soaked in water and lye in large basins in the basement, then rinsed and spun in steam-powered centrifuges. Between the floors, a hoist – a lift – would have been installed. However, all the advanced ideas of the plan were never implemented. Manually operated centrifuges, laundry rinsers and mangles were installed in the laundry. Nevertheless, the laundry was modern: the 80 basins of the laundry halls were connected to hot and cold water pipes. A central heating system, based on steam circulation, heated both laundry drying rooms and saunas. In other words, the saunas had no stove; instead, the steam room was heated with steam raising from below the platforms. Sea water was heated to create washing water and steam; however, this practice soon eroded the brickwork and plastering. When Suomenlinna served as a prison camp for Red Guard members between 1918 and 1919, prisoners used to go sauna bathing in the building. In 1929, the large laundry room in the first floor was converted into a steam room which was equipped with a wood-heated stove. Today, it is the largest wood-heated sauna in Finland.