RUSSIAN VIAPORI
INHABITANTS IN VIAPORI
Russian Viapori was a multicultural miniature society. The soldiers stationed in Viapori came not only from areas close to the Finnish border but from all parts of Russia. In the Russian army, everybody had the right to profess their own religion; consequently, in the fortress of Viapori, a peaceful coexistence prevailed between the adherents of different confessions.
The majority of the Russian troops were Orthodox. Cossacks and Roman Catholic soldiers, along with Muslim Tatars, made up a small minority of the garrison. Jews were allowed to enter the ranks of the Russian armed forces after 1827, during the reign of Nicholas I, after which they also served in Russian army units stationed in Finland. However, the number of Jews was significantly lower than that of Muslims. Officers and soldiers born in the Baltic countries were largely Evangelical-Lutheran, as were the Finns who enlisted in the Russian army.
By and large, the Russian army took a tolerant view on the adherents of different confessions. However, over the course of the 19th century, several decrees were issued, which restricted the opportunities open to Jews and, in some cases, Roman Catholics to progress in their military careers. Service in the Russian army could last as long as 25 years, and after being discharged, many soldiers settled in Finland.
The number of soldiers, their family members and other civilians who belonged to the parish of Holy Alexander Nevsky varied depending on the year. Between 1812 and 1915, depending on the year, men accounted for 1,383–5,694 of the members, and women 22–590, with the maximum number of children amounting to a maximum of 142. On average, the number of women in Viapori was 10–12% of the number of men. By comparison , it can be stated that in 1870, the number of inhabitants in Helsinki amounted to 32,000, of which the number of Russians was 3,800.
The number of soldiers was substantial during the First World War, during which the crew aboard ships stationed in the vicinity of Viapori amounted to around 25,000 to 30,000 seamen. Furthermore, at the time, around 15,000 soldiers were stationed in Viapori and Helsinki and the surrounding area.
A field service in Viapori. Photo credits: Museovirasto
Children in Viapori in a group photo. Photo credits: Museovirasto
Marriages and family life
As solders were stationed in the fortress, civilians – families and servants – followed them. The community of Russian merchants also grew in size. Among them was a certain Nicolas Petrovitsh Sinebrychoff, a member of the Sinebrychoff family that played a role in Finland for a long time. He founded the Sinebrychoff brewery in 1819 and ultimately became one of the wealthiest men in Helsinki.
Officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers stationed in the fortress were allowed to lead a normal family life. Many of them had their families moved to Viapori, or established a family while being stationed there. As the number of young Russian women in Finland was relatively small, in many cases soldiers married Finnish women. During Finland’s autonomous period between 1809 and 1917, the number of Orthodox brides amounted to around 660 according to the parish register, while the number of Lutheran brides was higher by one third, indicating that the number of cross-cultural marriages was substantial. The children of a Lutheran husband were normally baptised Orthodox, in keeping with their mother’s confession.
Between 1812 and 1918, around 6,500 children were estimated to have been born in Viapori. This is an indication of the fact that a great number of families lived in the fortress. The birth rate peaked in the early 19th century. The decline in the birth rate was a consequence of several factors, including the fact that Nicholas I ordered nearly five hundred seamen with families to move away from Viapori in 1854. The reason behind this decision was the Crimean War and the fact that new troops requiring accommodation were stationed in Viapori. About a dozen years later, around 400 commissioned officers and other members of the low-ranking rank-and-file and their family members were ordered to relocate from the fortress island to the mainland. Epidemics, tuberculosis and other pneumonic and fever diseases took a toll on Viapori’s inhabitants. Cholera was s dreaded visitor, entering Helsinki, for example, via Viapori in 1831.
General Bobrikov visiting Viapori. Photo credits: Museovirasto
Text: Maija-Liisa Tuomi
(Read more about life in the fortress)
The Russian Viapori online exhibition
is part of the jubilee programme for
Finland’s 100 years of independence.
