Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
MEDIEVAL RASEBORG CASTLE RUINS
Raseborg Castle
CASTLE
(Raasepori;
019-234-015;
www.raseborg.org
;adult/child €5/free;
10am-5pm daily May-mid-
Aug, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun mid-Aug-Sep)
Looming on a high rock overlooking a grassy sward, the late 14th-century Raseborg
Castle was strategically crucial in the 15th century, when it protected the trading town of
Tuna, and Karl Knutsson Bonde, the exiled king of Sweden, held his court here. By the
mid-16th century, Raseborg's importance had declined, and it was deserted for more
than 300 years. It's 18km east of Ekenäs via Rd 25 in Snappertuna. Buses are limited to
nonexistent so you'll need your own transport.
Fiskars
019 / Pop 450
Renowned for its cutting-edge Finnish design, Fiskars is a charming
bruk
village with a
green river sidling between beautiful old brick buildings.
Fiskars' ironworks began in 1649 with a single furnace and went on to make millions of
horse ploughs. In 1822 Turku apothecary Johan Jacob Julin bought Fiskars ironworks and
the Fiskars company boomed, producing a huge range of farming and household items in-
cluding its iconic orange-handled scissors in 1967, which are still made by the company
(although not here).
Today over 100 artisans, designers and artists live and/or work here, and craft shops,
studios and galleries fill its neoclassical buildings.
Sights
Strolling through the picturesque village and shopping for Finnish designs are the twin
draws here - pick up a free town map from the tourist office, which details Fiskars' historic
buildings.
Fiskars Museum
MUSEUM
