The town of Raahe, located on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia and about 100 km from Oulu, was founded in 1649 by Count Per Brahe the Younger.
There are many natural and cultural attractions in Raahe which attract tourists. Raahe in particular is a popular seaside town known for its historic wooden town center and has a good tourist port. Raahe, often called the City of Sea Winds, is a charming, hospitable city with a lot to offer visitors.
Two churches of historical importance in Raahe stand out. There are five museums in Raahe: Raahe Museum, Sovelius House, Saloinen Museum, Ojala Museum, as well as the old Pharmacy. 152 historic houses, 240 rear buildings and the central square (Pekkatori Square) of Raahe’s medieval old town can still be seen.
Raahe’s most popular events include Raahe Music Week, Brahe Classica, Jazz on the Beach Festival, and Pekka’s Day. Today, Raahe city is a city that has climbed the ladder of development and it shows exceptional development in ICT, steel sector etc. At the same time, the city of Raahe has also developed into a modern hub with access to Finland’s busiest ports.
In this article, we are detailing 10 attractions that highlight the importance of Raahe city. If you are planning a trip to Finland, we hope you will read this article carefully and add Raahe city to your list of travel destinations.
So let’s see what are the 10 most beautiful tourist attractions in Raahe city.
01) The Five Museums in Raahe
Raahe Museum
Finland’s oldest cultural history museum, the Raahe Museum, was established in 1862 by Dr. Carl Robert Erström. It is situated in Raahe’s former customs building.
The oldest diving suit in the world, “The Old Gentleman,” is the most valuable item in the museum’s collection, along with other unusual natural objects, other objects from other nations, foreign souvenirs, things of culture, items connected to the historical past of Raahe city, and ancient wooden sculptures. The leather outfit comes from the 18th century and is constructed of leather.
Sofia House Studio and Gallery
Photographs, graphics and textiles by four Raahe artists are on display and for sale at Sofia House.
Sovelius House
The Sovelius House, erected in the 1780s, is the oldest surviving residential structure in Raahe. Also the Carolinian floor plan is still evident on both stories, making it a traditional upper middle class home from the 18th century.
The museum office and spaces for changing exhibitions are located on the ground floor and have been refurbished in an Art Nouveau design. The first floor has been renovated to look like a wealthy shipowner and merchant’s mansion from the 1890s.
Ojala Homestead Museum
This house, which has a history dating back to the year 1800, was owned by Augusta Durchman. It was initially used as a farm. In 1913, Durchman renovated the house and offered it for use as a home for the elderly and sick. The structure was used as a nursing home from 1957 to 1975. It was given to the public as a museum in 1981. Local artisans often host cultural events and exhibitions during the summer, and one of the museum’s highlights is the vast collection of coffee cups from Finland and other countries.
Raahe Old Pharmacy
Apothecary Jean Gallenius established Raahe’s first pharmacy in 1793. Across from the church on Kirkkokatu was where you could find the drugstore. The drugstore relocated to its current site on Kauppakatu in 1921. In 1999, this home was transformed into a museum. One of Finland’s most priceless collections in its particular specialty is the so-called Old Pharmacy Collection.
The oldest apothecary jars in the collection date back to the 18th century. There are also numerous types of equipment used in the manufacturing of medications, as well as vintage pharmacy wrappings and packages.
02) Matti Lepistö Sculpture Park
The self-taught artist Matti Lepistö’s (1948-2020) sculpture park in Raahe is a really great destination. The creative artist Matti Lepistö, who employed a variety of media, is most known for his concrete sculptures.
In his garden in Pattijoki, they have developed into an unique sculpture park with about 300 sculptures. In addition to creating sculptures, Matti also created stained glass, painted, drew, wrote, and took photographs.
The park has sculptures of people, animals, mythological creatures, and surrealist works of art. The animal figures and the pieces with Kalevala themes are in perfect harmony with the themes and portrayals of the countryside that represent the beginning of life. Some of the artworks are works that critically scrutinize the conquests of religion.
Location : Mansikkakarintie 196, 92140 Raahe, Finland
03) Holy Trinity Church in Raahe
Raahe’s Holy Trinity Church was built between 1909 and 1912 on the site of an earlier wooden church which burned down in 1908. The church was designed and developed by Joseph Stenbach, an architect and engineer.
It embodies the National Romanticism and Art Nouveau movements. Much of the granite used to build the church was quarried from the islands off the coast of Raahe. A 52 meter high tower has been built in the church. The church, which seats 600 people, was stripped of layers of paint during renovations, with walls plastered with pink lime and feathers painted to imitate oak. A beautiful side was exposed.
Location : Kirkkokatu 10, 92100 Raahe, Finland
04) Old Raahe – The Ancient City
One of the best surviving wooden settlements from Finland’s 19th century is Old Raahe. There are 150 antique homes in the region, together with 200 outbuildings. A hundred or more major structures in the neighborhood have undergone renovations as a result of the preservation decision. There have been 30 new constructions and additions that blend in with the surroundings.
Pekkatori Square, where the homes by Lang, Fontell, Montin, Frieman, Hedmansson, and Kivi-Sovio exhibit neo-classical influences, serves as the neighborhood’s focal point. Old Raahe is a functioning neighborhood rather than an outdoor museum. It details the development and habitation of the town throughout the ages, up to the present.
05) Raahe archipelago
The Rahe Archipelago, a treasure in front of the city, has been named the 2016 Finnish Outdoor Destination of the Year. About 50 tiny islands and islets make up the little metropolitan archipelago. A sizeable portion of the Raahe archipelago is included in the Natura 2000 network because of its variety of habitats, birds, and vegetation. The archipelago has a total size of 2,240 hectares.
The only notable archipelago between Rahja (Kalajoki) and Oulunsalo is the Raahe archipelago. The archipelago is made up of both small, empty islets farther out in the open ocean and inner, forested islands close to the coast. The archipelago, which was molded by post-glacial rebound and early modes of subsistence like cow herding, fishing, and sea transit, is a scenically valuable entity.
There’s many daily cruises and island-hopping tours during the summer. You can go on guided kayaking excursions in the local waters or out into the sea. The islands of Iso-Kraaseli, Kalla, Tasku, and Ulkopauha all have anchorages for boats.
You can take advantage of the frozen sea’s many outdoor activities during the winter. Because of the ice, you can go to the archipelago on foot, skis, snowshoes, bikes, or sleighs.
What activities are available in the Raahe archipelago?
Enjoy the quiet of uninhabited islands while learning about the post-glacial return of environment on a nature walk. Spend a lovely summer day on an island. On the islands of Iso-Kraaseli and Tasku, visit the ancient wooden lighthouses constructed in 1853.
Anyone is welcome to utilize the rest cottages on the islands of Tasku, Kalla, and Ulkopauha.
06) Iso-Kraaseli Island
The second-largest island in Raahe, Iso-Kraaseli has a length of 1.3 km and a width of 600 m. The site previously housed a daymark and a pilots’ cottage, which the pilot service acquired in 1848. Up until 1964, there was a pilot station on the island. In 1852, the pilots’ cottage and the wooden daymark on Iso-Kraaseli were restored. Iso-Kraaseli has a 2.3 kilometer nature trail that has 15 signage documenting the local flora and fauna. Sheep graze on the island during the summer, protecting the environment.
Softwood, hardwood, mixed, and coastal land uplift-representative shrubs and woods may be found in Iso-Kraaseli. The island has species-rich dry and fresh meadows, representative seaside meadows, transitional wetlands, and beach mires. There is also a Glo-lake that is really representative. The hiker is welcomed by a serpentine spruce and an old, very massive pine near the nature trail.
There are places to stay on the island. One 6-person room and two 2-person rooms make up a historic pilots’ hut. Additionally, there are two newly renovated ancient sailboat sheds, each with two beds.
07) Stone arch bridge at Pattijoki
The historic Pattijoki stone arch bridge is a national road museum location. It was constructed between 1896 and 1897. Before the existing stone bridge, the area had a number of wooden bridges. The bridge’s connecting road was changed from a highway to a local road at the end of the 1960s. The road has only been used for bicycle and pedestrian traffic since the middle of the 1970s. In 1984, the bridge area was chosen as a location for the road museum.
08) Monument of the Siikajoki battle
Near the Siikajoki Church there is a monument honoring the Siikajoki battle of the Finnish War. Thanks to General Carl Johan Adlercreutz’s strategic acumen, the Swedish-Finnish army defeated the Russians in the combat fought on April 18, 1808. (1757–1815). On August 26, 1934, the monument created by architect and visual artist Matti Visanti.
09) Tauvo Beach & Birds Watching Area
The best sand beach in the area may be found in Tauvo. Siikajoki’s Tauvo is a charming seaside community. Tauvo is the perfect destination for families, sunbathers, and surfers to spend a summer day because of its long sandy beach and small swimming area.
Tauvo Harbour also provides fantastic opportunity for leisure activities like swimming. In all of Northern Finland, the waves in Tauvo rank among the best for surfing. Young children can swim and play in the shallow waters on the beaches because of their gentle slopes. The state of the water is regularly checked during bathing season.
Since 1965, Tauvo has been home to a bird station run by the North Ostrobothnia Ornithological Association. The primary focus has been on ringing and watching migratory birds, but there has also been attention paid to the bird populations that breed and rest on Ulkonokka point, which is close to the station.
The Waterfowl Habitats Conservation Programme has jointly designated Ulkonokka, Merikylänlahti, and Säikänlahti as an outstanding natural waterfowl habitat due to the importance of the birds there during both nesting and migration.
10) Härkätori Park
The Defender statue was given to the community by John Grundström in 1932. The deed of donation said that Härkätori Square, which was in its natural state, had to be transformed into a park and the monument had to be placed there. Then, in the 1930s, Härkätori was transformed into a park. With the completion of the café building in 2008, Härkätori acquired a new appearance. 2011’s May Day saw the unveiling of the fountain. In the park, white firs have been planted. They are uncommon and do well up here in the extreme north.
Härkätori Park has evolved over many years to become the main park in Raahe where people congregate in their leisure time. It holds a lot of cultural events throughout the summer. The park is overrun with snow sculptures in the winter. The trees are lit up for the holidays in December.
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