This is Åland: a Swedish-speaking, demilitarised archipelago that’s part of Finland. I’d wanted to visit for ages — mostly because I had so many questions.
Why is it Swedish-speaking? How autonomous is it really? And why can’t any country have a military presence here?
I travelled here by overnight ferry from Helsinki, and a couple of days later, I left by ferry to Stockholm. If you’re planning a similar trip, here’s exactly what I saw, did, and found out.
Getting to and around the islands 🚢🚗
I arrived in Mariehamn early in the morning on the Viking Line Cindarella from Helsinki (book Viking Line Ferries here).
I tried to take the 7:55 bus towards Kastelholm. It was on the timetable but didn’t show up on the digital screen – and in the end, it just didn’t turn up.
It became clear pretty quickly: Åland is much easier to get around with a car.
Over coffee, I called Rundbergs and got a six-hour rental for just over €40. I picked it up at its office – it was super straightforward Just had to remind myself to drive on the right side of the road!
Jomala Church 🕍
About 7km north of Mariehamn is Jomala Church, also known as St. Olaf’s. Swedish missionaries came to Åland in the 12th century, and this stone church was built around 1260–1280 – it’s likely the oldest church in Finland.
The graveyard here told its own story: almost all the names were in Swedish – Carlsson, Mattsson, Hagström, Johannesson. Even though the islands have been part of Finland for over 200 years, Swedish identity is still everywhere.
Sweden did draw up plans for renovations at one point, but they were never completed. The Russians, who controlled Åland after Sweden, did adapt the church slightly – but much of it remains from the 13th century.
Kastelholm Castle 🏰
Kastelholm is the only castle on Åland and one of just five medieval castles in Finland. It dates to the 14th century and was originally built on a small island surrounded by moats. It’s been remodelled over the centuries, especially in the 1600s, and its layout adapts to the rocky terrain.
This was once a key part of Sweden’s Baltic defence. Åland was under Swedish control for about 600 years and played a strategic role in the empire. The castle itself was used for administrative purposes, royal apartments, and even had a shipyard and a prison.
It was besieged in 1453 during the Engelbrekt rebellion, later became a granary, and by the 1930s was partly used as a quarry. One of the more unexpected facts? King Erik XIV of Sweden was imprisoned here by his half-brother.
I also learned that Åland’s first witch trials were held here in 1666 – women were imprisoned and later burned at the stake for vague accusations of witchcraft.
Åland Prison Museum and Open-Air Museum 🪵
Just next to the castle is the Vita Björn Prison Museum.
It operated from the late 1700s to 1975 and housed prisoners during Swedish, Russian and Finnish rule. You can walk through old cells – some of which held up to six or even eight people, including children whose mothers were incarcerated. There’s a flogging post in the exercise yard, and some old signage in Swedish and Russian.
Next door is the open-air museum. It’s a collection of 20 rural buildings from around Åland, relocated here to represent life in the 1920s. There are farmhouses, ox stables, sheep sheds (still smells like sheep!), and traditional outbuildings — all well preserved.
Bomarsund Fortress ⚔️
From there, I drove to the ruins of Bomarsund Fortress. Built by the Russians in 1828, it was intended to house troops and show off Russian power. The design was grand and ambitious, but it was never fully finished. The key failure was the harbour, which they never completed.
When the Crimean War broke out in 1853, British and French forces joined the Ottomans against Russia. They attacked Bomarsund with 13,000 troops against just 2,000 defenders.
The fortress was surrendered, the defenders were taken prisoner, and the UK and France ended up in control of Åland — but didn’t want to keep it. They offered it back to Sweden, but Sweden declined, fearing a fresh war with Russia.
Instead, the British and French blew up the fortress and signed a treaty in Paris in 1856 which permanently demilitarised the Åland Islands. That agreement is still in place today.
Pråstö Island and the “island of the dead” ⚰️
I crossed the bridge to Pråstö hoping to visit some of the old war cemeteries – Orthodox, Lutheran, Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish. It turns out you need to walk a 2.5-hour trail to access them properly, and I didn’t have time.
Pråstö has so many military and civil burial sites from the Russian period that it’s sometimes called “the island of the dead.” Many of the soldiers stationed at Bomarsund were buried here.
Mariehamn: Åland’s capital 🏙️
Mariehamn was built in 1861, shortly after Åland was demilitarised. It was named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of Tsar Alexander II. The layout is grid-based — a deliberate Russian design — and its port stays ice-free year-round, which gave it huge commercial value.
Before this, Åland’s strategic role was mostly military — think Kastelholm under Sweden and Bomarsund under Russia. But after 1856, trade took over. Mariehamn became a key port town for sailing ships.
Pommern ship museum ⛵
Right next to Hotel Cikada (where I stayed — more on that below), is Pommern, a four-masted barque built in Scotland in 1903. She carried grain from Europe to Australia and was later bought by Åland shipowner Gustaf Erikson in 1923. Even after steamships took over, Erikson’s fleet kept using windjammers — it made Åland famous in the UK and beyond.
Pommern is virtually unchanged since it was built and has been a museum ship since 1950. It’s docked just metres from the ferry terminal.
Åland’s unique autonomy 🏛️
In 1917, Finland declared independence from Russia. Suddenly, Ålanders — who had been governed by Sweden for 600 years and Russia for 100 — were meant to become Finnish citizens. But they didn’t speak Finnish, didn’t feel Finnish, and didn’t want to be governed by Helsinki.
From 1917 to 1920, there was a campaign to rejoin Sweden. Most Ålanders supported it. Sweden was willing. But Finland refused. Eventually, the League of Nations settled it in 1921.
Åland would stay with Finland, under three conditions:
- Swedish would remain the only official language
- The islands would have full internal autonomy
- They would remain permanently demilitarised
The Lagtinget (Åland’s parliament) was set up, and Julius Sundblom, one of the movement’s leaders — previously imprisoned by Finnish police — became its first speaker.
You can visit the parliament building and library in Mariehamn. The library shelves are mostly in Swedish, with a section for Finnish books, and a small selection in Arabic, Ukrainian, German, and English.
Where I stayed 🛏️
I booked Hotel Cikada, the cheapest place in town. The room was comfy and clean, and it’s right next to Pommern. There’s an indoor pool, outdoor pool, and sauna, although the sauna and indoor pool are only open for two hours each morning. Breakfast was included but didn’t look great, so I grabbed something from the supermarket instead.
Click here to read more about Hotel Cikada.
Final thoughts 🏖️
I finished the trip with a dip in the Baltic Sea — icy cold, but refreshing. From there, I boarded the early morning ferry to Stockholm, watching the sun rise over the pine-covered shores of Åland.
If you’re planning to visit, I’d recommend spending at least three full days here with a rental car — or more if you want to explore the outer islands by ferry.
