Sea fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site

Suomenlinna is one of the largest sea fortresses in the world and a World Heritage Site of UNESCO located off Helsinki. The history of Suomenlinna begins in 1747 when the Swedish king Fredrik I accepted the plan to build a fortress near Helsinki. A young artillery officer Augustin Ehrensvärd was responsible for preparing and implementing the building plan. Thus began the vivid history of the of Northern Gibraltar. The fortress have been developed both during the Swedish-, Russian- and the Finnish period in the history of Finland.

Over 100 Years For The Benefit of Suomenlinna

Ehrensvärd Society has been working for Suomenlinna for over hundred years by cherishing and giving information about our valuable cultural environment. Our core mission is to give
information about the history of Suomenlinna and we do it with pride and joy. The sensitive and valuable environment of the World Heritage Site creates a framework for us, where every activity is carried out thoughtfully and responsibly. We want to protect the cultural environment of the fortress, the nature of the islands and the surrounding Baltic Sea.

Sustainable Development

We are committed to following the sustainable tourism strategy for Suomenlinna and the National World Heritage Strategy in our operations, and we have completed the EcoCompass environmental management system certificate and the Q1000 Quality Thousand certificate. We follow the principles of sustainable development in all our activities.

We Share Information about Our Cultural Environment

The Ehrensvärd Society guides, introduces, and leads Suomenlinna’s visitors to respect their environment by giving great experiences and information in a unique historical environment.

We also strive to act responsibly in our own operations and reduce the burden on the
environment. We make ecological and responsible choices, which help us protect Suomenlinna.

EcoCompass Environmental Certificate

We have completed the EcoCompass environmental management certificate and want to act
responsibly and environmentally friendly. Our sustainable operations extend to equal treatment of staff, consideration of the needs of different customer groups, and protection of the environment. With the help of EcoCompass environmental management system, we plan our operations to be more and more environmentally friendly and monitor the environmental effects of our operations.