A Tour of SUOMENLINNA SEA FORTRESS in Helsinki Finland

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

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[@jaketus]

A cool fact about Suomenlinna: There's actually a maintenance tunnel connecting it to mainland Helsinki. The tunnel carries electricity, water, district heating, waste and is large enough that it's also used by ambulances to visit Suomenlinna.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Hi Jaketus, I had no idea there was a tunnel connecting it to the mainland, so thank you for the information. Crazy that it's large enough for emergency vehicles to drive through - I'm sure it's closed to the public but it would be interesting to see it. Thanks for watching!

[@meandplaces]

As a local I am so glad you enjoyed Suomenlinna! Even though it is touristic, it is still one of my favourite places in Hki. Very scenic shots, thank you for your vlog :)

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching! It was an enjoyable morning, very glad I decided to go. Since you're a local, any tips on where to visit if I ever return? Cool channel by the way!

[@spoonzor1]

@@MattWhitingsEurope Not about Helsinki but the Turku archipelago and the Åland islands are beautiful in the summer. Maybe more to do on Åland.

[@WITYTRAVELS]

YOLO!! Nice moves avoiding the water. You could have given that para-glider a fist bump he was so close. Very brave to go down that dark tunnel. Really cutting it close for your flight! Beautiful drone footage as always!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks! Yes I thought at one point that paraglider may end up on top of me! Gotta get that shot!

[@jm-holm]

Some famous and for Finland fitting words are written by the architect of the fortress on the king's gate. loosely translated "afterworld, stand here on your own feet and don't trust in foreign help".

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

That's very fitting, I didn't realise those words are on the King's Gate, thanks for the information. Always good to learn more about the places I've visited. Definitely enjoyed my trip to the island. Thanks for watching.

[@mariamm9460]

Love Suomenlinna, visit every summer , it's easy by boat from the Market Square the same ticket as we use in the public transportation..Thank you for sharing , watching your videos now, because found your videos just a few days ago, enjoy your videos and information 😊❤🇫🇮

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching the videos Mariam, I'm glad you are enjoying them. Getting over to the island was easier and quicker than I expected, and even though my visit was quite rushed it was nice to see.

[@mariamm9460]

@@MattWhitingsEurope Matt you are very Welcome always 😃hope you didnt slipped away there on the beach , some moment on video,,really Love to watch your videos🥰,...glad you share your experiences and information, may I be your student 😃you know more about Finland than me ❤

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks, I'm glad you like them! I like to do a bit of research before travelling just so I know a little bit more than the average person 😂😂

[@mariamm9460]

@@MattWhitingsEurope you amazing me every single time I watch your videos with information, you have knowledge as "university professor " about Finnish culture and history, wonder how you know so much , research every city history and information so amazing job you do..Thank you millions time , hope you have a safe journey the places you went, take care , here 🇫🇮waiting you 😊❤

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you, I enjoy learning about the places I visit - the challenge is remember all that information over a longer period. Quite often I learn from my own videos if I rewatch them in the future! 😂

[@jjslifeineurope1132]

wonderful place. Thank you for Sharing Matt.. Stay safe and God bless you..See you around..

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you JJ, much appreciated. Looking forward to seeing you around. 👍

[@trendingwwwandw]

Thanks for showing us Finland!! 💫

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

[@moonliteX]

Suomenlinna is my favorite place in my favorite town

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

A very relaxing area for walking a few people have said. I can see why!

[@EiraAimo]

If you drink beer or soft drinks in Finland, its very likely linked to this fortress. Founder of Sinebrychoff brewery lived in Suomenlinna and started also restaurant/brewery business there and one of biggest customers were the army. Solders consumed huge amounts of alcohol and they were also paid in beer. After 200 years the brewery is now biggest in Finland and also one of the oldest companies still active and under same name. They make many brands like Coca-cola, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes, Guinness etc. So there is also lots of interesting industrial history.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks very much for the information! That's really interesting, I had no idea when I visited - the history was even more varied that I thought!

[@EiraAimo]

@@MattWhitingsEurope Oh yes, the history goes on and on. Many significant and "elite" families and persons are linked to Suomenlinna and to each other. Businessman, industrialists, artists, architects, politicians, developers/constructors etc and you can see their handprint in buildings, companies, parks, art, culture etc all over Finland, not just in Helsinki.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

What a legacy, so much going on! Thanks again for the info!

[@WhenAdventureKnox]

Lovely video. Your shot of the paraglider was cool, they got so close, and then seeing them again from the drone shots was good too. I always love your drone footage! I'm with you on the planning side and wanting to end close to where you're flying from 'just in case'! I'm likely to go AWOL for a couple of weeks, but looking forward to finding out what comes next when I get a chance to catch up!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks, I always enjoy flying the drone where I can! Hope you have a great trip wherever you're heading to, Looking forward to seeing the videos when you're back! Enjoy!

[@tiistai9696]

8:37 I like to walk around the outer area of Suomenlinna fortress in winter evenings. It does not have street lights, but snow combined with city lights of Helsinki makes visibility good enough to walk.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Sounds very pleasant, I bet there's not many people around!

[@tiistai9696]

@@MattWhitingsEurope It has been empty in winter evenings, after dark :)

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Sounds perfect, enjoy!

[@Viveca95]

How long it took to see all those places you visited? And how much time you should reserve if you want to see everything?😊 plannin to visit Suomenlinna and maybe Korkeasaari at the same time😊 thinking about the schedule.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

I was only there for about 3 hours and that wasn't enough, although you can get a flavour in that time. I'd recommend spending the day there if you can. Hope that helps!

[@mikaveekoo]

Swedes didn't "rule" us. Finland was part of Sweden for over 700 years and was called "Österland". Between 1809 -1917 Finland was Grand Duchy of Finland and autonomic part of Russia.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for the information, Mökö. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. The history is very interesting.

[@carisballing]

That is pretty much the same thing. Österland was up until the 16th century I believe.

[@mikaveekoo]

@@carisballing You are wrong of course. The well managed society we have here today is a legacy of the swedish era. Many finns played a big role in the swedish regime like Kustaa Mauri Armfelt. He was born in 1757.

[@mikaveekoo]

@@carisballing Finnish society is based on leftist or you could say even socialist ideas. Think about the free education and "little things" like maternity package or free school meals, things that have made Finland a top country admired by the rest of the world. This government is trying to revive these ideas, make them living again. Thank god because the former Sipilä's government was making real effort to destroy Finland. Living in Paris does not make you an expert in finnish affairs, I think. Sorry to say that. "Sori siitä" in Finnish.

[@rranka8293]

semonila island here we come

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

😃

[@holoholopainen1627]

At The Time - IT was used by The Military - IT Hosts - The Biggest sauna - In All of Finland !

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Hi Holo, so you're saying that the largest sauna in Finland was on the island when the military had control over it? If so that's amazing, thanks for the information.

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@MattWhitingsEurope The sauna IS still in USE !

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Ah I see. Incredible!

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@MattWhitingsEurope Finnish NAVY - has Their HQ - on The Island ! Did You see The last SUBMARINE - from 2nd WW ?

[@holoholopainen1627]

We Finns speak a Language called - suomi - that IS Finnish ! The name SUOMENLINNA - name stands as FINLANDS CASTLE - but The name Sveaborg I - on Swedish stands as Swedens Castle - that was Build at The Time We were ONE Kingdom - as Sweden ! At The time FORTRESS ISLANDS had More People ( 4.000 ) than mainland Helsinki Peninsula !

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Hello Holo, apologies for my slow reply! I've just returned from my second trip to FINLAND! Thanks for the information, very interesting and useful to know. How similar is Suomi to Swedish? I've always assumed they are quite similar.

[@minisenzi]

I'll reply to this one - barely nothing similar there :D The Estonian language is a Baltic Finnish language and close relative of Finnish. Nevertheless, even they are two very different languages.

[@minisenzi]

Of course there are a lot of loanwords between Finnish and Swedish but linguistically Estonian language has more similarities with Finnish.

[@petrusinvictus3603]

You may be Brittish? Visited Helsinki? Did you know, that only 10 percent of the World people are not attacked by Britain. Helsinki was attacked by by Brits and French in 1851, Krimien war...

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for the information, Petrus. I didn't realise that! Hope you enjoyed the video.

[@petrusinvictus3603]

WW one you britons where in Petsamo on our side. Well history is not funny, its interesting...

[@qwertyqwerty-ek7dy]

@@MattWhitingsEurope A British history KZbinr Lindybeige has made an exelent video on it if you are interested.

[@helenaholmberg1987]

The Crimean War

[@larrywave]

​@@petrusinvictus3603"on our side"

[@rranka8293]

you're always so busy. trivial anglosphere.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

I like to explore!! Try to keep active where I can.

[@tammytreee]

Too stressful

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Which bit?