the nicely decorated pulpit
the belltower stands alone
this little cafe provides refuge for the rain
we have to go up over the cobblestones
a relict of WWII near the riverside
time to go back to the river
Most churches in Finland have a votive ship
One of Finland's old medieval towns is
Porvoo, some 50 km east of Helsinki.
The river Porvoonjoki gives the city easy access to
the Gulf of Finland.
The
Borgå Cathedral dominates the old town. The church dates from the 15th century and is the seat
of the Swedish speaking diocese of
Borgå.30% of Porvoo's 50k inhabitants still speak Swedish.
A black metal rocker set fire
to the church in 2006, causing the roof to collapse but little damage to the interior.
Porvoo was founded around 1350 and under
Swedish rule grew in importance to become the second city of Finland in the 1700th.
Tzar Alexander I defeated Sweden
in 1808. With the
Diet of Porvoo the Grand Principality of Finland was created which effectively made Finland part
of the Russian Empire. The ceremony took place in the cathedral, which still features a statue of Alexander I.
We visited
Porvoo in July 2016.
a billboard with the map welcomes the visitors
the houses reflect in the waters of the Porvoonjoki River
The Porvoo Cathedral has a new roof after the 2006 arson
inside the church
the trainstation is clearly out of use
this unicorn dates back to medieval times
