Sites in Finland
There are seven World Heritage Sites in Finland: Suomenlinna, Old Rauma, Petäjävesi Old Church, Verla Groundwood and Board Mill, Sammallahdenmäki Bronze Age Burial Site, Struve Geodetic Arc and Kvarken Archipelago.
Kvarken Archipelago is the only natural heritage site, all the others are cultural heritage sites.
Other World Heritage sites in Finland
Old Rauma
Old Rauma is the most extensive coherent wooden town area in Nordic region. It remains the heart of the town, with people living, trading, working and engaging in leisure activities in its historic surroundings all year round. Old Rauma was inscribed into the World Heritage List in 1991.
Petäjävesi Old Church
The Petäjävesi Old Church is a representative of the wooden church architectural tradition of the Northern European region. The church, built in 1763–1765, is an example of how local master builders on the fringes of Western culture and the Lutheran Church applied influences from Central European architecture to traditional log construction. The church was inscribed into the World Heritage List in 1994.
Verla Groundwood and Board Mill
Verla Groundwood and Board Mill is a well-preserved example of small-scale rural industrial settlements that flourished in northern Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only a handful of such settlements survive to the present day. Verla was inscribed into the World Heritage List in 1996.
Sammallahdenmäki Bronze Age Burial Site
Sammallahdenmäki Bronze Age burial site is a unique site representing the religious and funerary habits of a community living in Western Finland during the Scandinavian Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1500–50 BC). Sammallahdenmäki was the first Finnish prehistoric archaeological site to be inscribed into the World Heritage List in 1999.
Struve Geodetic Arc
Struve Geodetic Arc was the first extensive and accurate meridian measurement that could be used for determining the shape of the earth. It was inscribed as a World Heritage site of Finland and nine other countries in 2005. It represents the history of science and technology and is the first site that stretches across the territory of so many countries. Six of the station points are located in Finland.
Kvarken Archipelago
The Kvarken Archipelago and the High Coast in Sweden together make up a joint World Heritage site of Finland and Sweden. Together they serve as a unique example of land uplift caused by the last glacial period and ongoing geological development and biological processes. The Kvarken Archipelago was inscribed into the World Heritage List in 2006 as Finland’s first Natural Heritage Site.
Educational material
Visit an online version of the Our Shared World Heritage exhibition that is touring World Heritage Sites. The exhibition is a great way to, for instance, get to know a specific site before visiting it, and it has been designed for all types of visitors from individual visitors to school groups and families. The website also includes learning materials and answers.
The Association of World Heritage Sites in Finland
The Association of World Heritage Sites in Finland was established in 2016 in Vaasa. The purpose of the association is to develop and increase the cooperation between and influence of World Heritage Sites and to improve the sites’ skills and resources. The association promotes the implementation of the international World Heritage Convention and represents the World Heritage Sites in Finland on a national, Nordic and international level. Read more about the Association of World Heritage sites in Finland.
Finnish World Heritage Sites have a common brochure. Open brochure (PDF).
