Everything about Hanko totally explained
Hanko in Finnish,
Hangö in
Swedish, and
Гангут in
Russian), is a
bilingual port town on the south coast of
Finland, 130 km west of
Helsinki. Its current population is 9,905 (
2004-12-31), with a majority being
Finnish speakers and a strong minority being (44,3 %)
Swedish speakers.
Features
The
Hanko Peninsula, on which the city is located, is the southernmost tip of continental Finland. The soil is a sandy
moraine, and vegetation consists mainly of
pine and low
shrubs. Hanko is known for its beautiful
archipelago.
The city has a
coastline of approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles), of which 30 km (19 miles) are sandy beaches. There are also over 90 small
islands and
islets within the city limits.
The skyline of Hanko is dominated by the church and the
water tower. Both of them received their current appearance after
World War II, as their predecessors were either damaged or destroyed by the
Soviet Army.
Scandlines serve the link between Hanko and Rostock since October 2007 four times a week with two RoRo-vessel in 36 hours.
Events
The
Hangon Regatta has been a traditional fixture on the Finnish social scene, and is the major summer event in Hanko.
Sailing enthusiasts attend in order to compete, as well as mostly young people who have very little or no interest in sailing, and attend only in order to party and drink. The latter constitute the "Regatta tail", not appreciated by most of the town's residents, and which causes huge expenses for clean-up of the parks and streets.
Other traditional summer activities are the "Tennis Week", the "Sea Horse" riding competitions, and the "Summer Theatre" events.
Several sandy beaches and a multitude of leisure harbors attract tourists during the summer months.
History
The site was already known by sailors in the
15th century.
Petroglyphs from that time are carved into the rock at the "Hauensuoli" (
Swedish: "Gäddtarmen",
English: "Pike's Gut") island.
Hanko has a long history of wars and battles. The
Battle of Gangut between
Swedish and
Russian navies was fought in
1714 in the archipelago north of the peninsula. The battle was the first-ever victory of the
Russian regular fleet.
The
fortification works on the Hanko Peninsula had already been started by the end of the
18th century, when the Swedish constructed three separate forts on the outlying islands. The forts were later bombarded by the
Royal Navy during the
Crimean War and they were eventually blown up during the hostilities by their own defenders.
The city was founded in
1874, soon after the
Hanko-Hyvinkää railway was inaugurated in 1872. The Imperial Charter for the city was granted by
Tsar Alexander II.
Hanko was the port of choice for
emigrants leaving Finland for a new life in
North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A memorial statue, showing birds in flight, commemorates this.
In the late 1800s, while Finland was still a
Grand Duchy under
Russia, Hanko was a popular
spa resort for the
Russian nobility. Some of the buildings from that period survive, notably the Hanko Casino (which is
not a
gambling establishment, but a former banquet hall of the
spa). It is nowadays a restaurant.
Field Marshal
C. G. Mannerheim owned a
café, "Neljän Tuulen Tupa" ("The House of the Four Winds") which still is very popular among tourists and residents alike.
The
Bengtskär lighthouse is the highest one (52 meters) in the Nordic countries. It is situated 25 km southwest of Hanko. It was built in 1906 and it's the first lighthouse museum in Finland.
Soviet naval base
In the
Moscow Peace Treaty that ended the
Winter War on
March 6,
1940, Hanko was
leased to the
Soviet Union as a military base for a period of 30 years. During the
Continuation War, Soviet troops were forced to evacuate Hanko in early December
1941. The Soviet Union renounced the lease formally in the
Paris peace treaty of
1947. As a curiosity, it can be noted that the short Russo-Finnish front across the base of the peninsula on the Finnish side was held in part by
volunteer troops from
Sweden. A museum has been established at this location, among the
trenches and other remnants of the war.
The role of the Hanko naval base was replaced by
Porkkala in the
armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union of
September 19,
1944, released back to Finland in January 1956.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hanko'.
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