Hanko, Finland
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Hanko, (Hangö in Swedish) in Finland is a small bilingual port town on the south coast of Finland, 130 kilometers west of Helsinki. Its current population is 10,008 (2002), with 44.8% being Finland-Swedish.
Several sandy beaches and a multitude of leisure harbors attract tourists during the summer months. The skyline of Hanko is dominated by the churh and water tower.
The Hanko Peninsula, on which the town 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, see this photo (http://www.saunalahti.fi/animato/panorama/hankopan.JPG), a panorama taken from the water tower.
The Hangon Regatta has been a traditional fixture on the Finnish social scene. Many people who have very little or no interest in sailing, attend nevertheless in order to party and absorb the atmosphere. This "Regatta tail", not appreciated by the town's residents, 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.
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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.
The town was founded in 1874, soon after the Hanko-Hyvinkää railroad was inaugurated in 1872.
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).
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.
Soviet naval base
Following the armistice of the Finnish Winter War on March 6, 1940, Hanko was leased to the Soviet Union as a military base for a period of 50 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 by volunteer troops from Sweden.
The role of the Hanko naval base was replaced by Porkkala in the armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union of September 19, 1944.
See also
External link
- Municipal website (http://www.hanko.fi/tourism/index.php?lang=eng)