Restoration

Planning and implementation of the Suomenlinna restoration project began in 1973, and is managed by the Planning unit of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna. This work concerns all structures of the fortress, from the lock gates of the docks to the residential apartments.

Suomenlinna is one of the largest and most important restoration sites in Finland. The restoration, encompassing hundreds of projects of varying scale, advances one project at a time within the constraints of available funding. This renovation process is ongoing, and over the next few years the focus of the project will gradually shift away from renovation towards maintenance repair work. The 30-year project of renovating facilities for residential use was completed at the end of the decade.

Planning is guided by a development plan that was formulated for the fortress after the garrison had left the island. According to this plan, the more than 200 buildings, walls, docks and landscape of the fortress are to be preserved for future generations in optimally authentic condition.

The restoration principle of Suomenlinna requires minimal interference with the original surfaces.

Very little new construction occurs within the fortress. One significant new building, however, is the Suomenlinna Visitor Centre, which serves visitors throughout the year.

Due to climatic conditions, repair work on the wall is a never-ending task that will continue even when the restoration plan for the buildings has been implemented in full. The Suomenlinna Prison, operated under the Ministry of Justice, is a partner of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna and provides most of the finance for wall repairs. The goal of annually repairing one per cent of the total wall surface, i.e. 500 square meters, as prison work illustrates the scale of this undertaking.