Old Rauma

Rauma, Finland

Old Rauma is the largest unified historical wooden town in the Nordic countries. Fire has destroyed it several times since 1500s, last major one occured in 1682. There are 600 buildings in old town, mostly privately owned. Oldest still existing houses are from the 18th century.

Locations of special interest include the Kirsti house, which is a seaman's house from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the Marela house, which is a shipowner's house dating to the 18th century but with a 19th century facade, both of which are currently museums. The population of Old Rauma is 800. the Church of the Holy Cross, an old Franciscan monastery church from the 15th century with medieval paintings and the old town hall from 1776.

In 1991 Old Rauma was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

References:

Address

Vähäkirkkokatu 8-10, Rauma, Finland

See all sites in Rauma

Details

Founded: 18th century
Category: Historic city squares, old towns and villages in Finland
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment (Finland)

More Information

www.worldheritagesite.org
en.wikipedia.org
www.oldrauma.fi
whc.unesco.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

The Church of the Holy Cross (0,1 km)
Rauma Maritime Museum (1 km)
The Church of the Holy Trinity (0,3 km)

The Old Courthouse (42,9 km)
Central Pori Church (43 km)
Sammallahdenmäki (14,2 km)
Reposaari Fortress (53,3 km)
Uusikaupunki Old Church (37,1 km)
Mynämäki Church (56,3 km)
Juselius Mausoleum (42 km)
Irjanne Church (19,4 km)
Vuojoki Mansion (13,2 km)

User Reviews

Tony Rutter (8 months ago)
It's a sunny day and the city is busy. The shops are are open and full of shoppers. The cafes are full. Great city to visit, full of things to see of the old Ruama

TH3 TR/\V1R (13 months ago)
Gorgeous old town of Rauma consisting of wood-cladden, colorful houses, the biggest in Scandinavia. You'll find small shops, cafés and restaurants here. North of it is also a small creek that's running into a lake nearby. Nice for a walk as well.

Ville Kemppinen (16 months ago)
Old Rauma is a well-maintained area with wooden buildings. It is a Unesco world heritage site. Some of the buildings are open to visitors during the Pitsiviikot. There are plenty of restaurants and shops in the area.

Barbi Gearhart (16 months ago)
This is a really neat little town. It has shopping, cafés, a center market and it's beautiful. Looks almost like a movie set.

Dan Leung (18 months ago)
The old city was certainly the old city, I thought I was in a western movie. The smell of the wooden buildings was wonderful. Great for taking pictures and looking at history. There is a museum in this town and it has a lot of historical items. Worth the visit

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright stahli36

Historic Site of the week

Celje Castle

Celje Castle was once the largest fortification on Slovenian territory. The first fortified building on the site (a Romanesque palace) was built in the first half of the 13th century by the Counts of Heunburg from Carinthia on the stony outcrop on the western side of the ridge where the castle stands. It had five sides, or four plus the southern side, which was a natural defence. The first written records of the castle date back to between 1125 and 1137; it was probably built by Count Gunter. In the western section of the castle, there was a building with several floors. Remains of the walls of this palatium have survived. In the eastern section, there was an enclosed courtyard with large water reservoirs. The eastern wall, which protects the castle from its most exposed side, was around three metres thicker than the rest of the curtain wall. The wall was topped with a parapet and protected walkway.