Pietarsaari lukio

During the trip to Finland I had many great experiences and saw many great things. One of them witch sticks out was Pietarsaari lukio, school of finnish and swedish students, where most of the program took place in. It was really interesting to see in what environment people in other countries study. I was very impressed by what I've seen. The whole school was so modern and cozy. I liked the set up of the classrooms, it was interesting to see the schools library, the whole place seemed to be so spacious and relaxing. I especially liked the cafeteria, because of this huge glass wall that opened up an impressive scenery to the beautiful school park. It was very nice and I enjoyed visiting the Pietarsaari lukio.

Tadas Jakubauskas

Pedersöre church

1.-  Pedersöre church in Pietarsaari (Finland)

2.- It is one of the  oldest  medieval churches in Ostrobothnia surrounded by a beautiful white snow scenery.

3.- The present stone church was built between 1510-1520 but it was modified to cross shape in 1787-1795 by famous church builder Jakob Rijf. Pedersöre Church was damaged badly by fire in 1986. It was supposed to be an arson, but any suspects were never found. It dates back to 13th century. During its history, the look of the church has varied a lot. The first small building was probably a small chapel built of stone or perhaps wood.  

4.- Above the main entrance we see the inscription 1250. This date is based on historical writings which are rather late and unverifiable.
The church was severely damaged during the Great Northern War in the beginning of the 18th century. As the population in the area grew the church became too small and crowded. After much consideration and careful planning, renovation into a cruciform church was begun in 1787. 

5.- The church itself also was used as a graveyard. The low buildings on both sides of the bell tower were erected in 1803.They served as "winter graves" or temporary graves during the winter time when the ground was frozen.  It was a place for depositing fragments of earlier buried people. Over the centuries the graveyard has been reused several times.

 6.- It looks like these type of Northern European churches. It looks humble from the outside but surely very warm in the inside. I like these types of churches with a high steeple.

 7.- It gave me peace and solace. The day I visited it was snowing and I was eager to lie on the snow and play like a kid. 

Núria Gonzalo

Streets of Pietarsaari.

1- There are rows and rows of line up little houses as if it were a village taken out of a fairy tale. Most of the houses are made of wood but other are made of concrete or bricks. Some are new but others are quite old. They look functional.

2- Most of them look from the 18^th and 19^th century. Some probably older.

3- They look like a fishing village in the north. In fact Pietarsaari it is on the North coast of Finland slopping west.

4- The picture on the photograph shows a peaceful street covered by snow on a winter day of February, minus 20 degrees Centigrade. There is nobody in the street because of the chilly temperature.

5- It was difficult for me to stroll along the streets in such cold days but it was amazingly beautiful and distressful. However, people were very friendly and we received a warmly welcome.

6- It’s been a wonderful experience since I had never experienced such thing before. I would repeat it, of course.

Núria Gonzalo

Nanoq artic Museum

The fourth day of our staying in Pietarsaari, we went to the Arctic Museum Nanoq which was situated in Fäboda. It was created between years 1956 and 1983 by a man called Pentti Kronqvist who had participated in several journeys and expeditions to the Arctic.

Nowadays, it is a very popular museum as it gets over 10,000 visitors from all over the world every year. It is very special because it shows the life and culture from the Arctic which is something very unusual for someone from a Mediterranean country as it is Spain.

Although the freezing weather we had that day, it really worth it.

Raquel Ruiz

Suomenlinna

The day we visited Helsinki, we had the luck of visiting an incredible fortress called Suomenlinna which was situated in six islands. It started to be built by the Swedish the year 1748 in order to defence from the Russian Empire but, in the end, it was conquered in 1809.

Nowadays, some people live and work there and it is a very touristic place as it belongs to the Unesco Heritage. For getting there from the city, the is a ferry that breaks the frozen sea into pieces so that it can go through it.

As in all the things we have visited in this journey, Soumenlinna was a wonderful place that inspired a feeling of relaxation while you were having a walk. Moreover, the views were breathtaking. (It can be seen in the photos)

Raquel Ruiz 

Merilla

Merilla is a fabulous place to spend ones leisure time. Fresh air, a picturesque pine forest with rocks, scattered everywhere, the sea make you feel a part of nature.

 We really appreciated winter activities such as ice-fishing, grilling and eating sausages outdoors and sitting inside the wooden house near the fireplace, enjoying the warm tea on such a cold day.

        Stasė Mišarina

Oravais

Oravais is famous for its historical battle which  was a critical event during the Finnsh 1808–09 between Russia and Sweden, and took place on September 14, 1808. The Russian troops won the battle, which became the turning point in the war. After the defeat of Sweden in the war, Finland became a Grand Dutchy under Russia.

The evening spent in Oravais was unforgettable. We found out a lot of interesting things about the history of the area, the way of life at the beginning of the 19th century, tasted authentic cuisine of that period. Stories told by the officer and the chef were extremely exciting and informative.

                                                                                           Stasė Mišarina                                                                  

Arctic museum Nanoq

11.)     Museum presents Arctic art, life and culture, stretching from Siberia to Greenland and including expeditions to the North Pole and the South Pole.

22.)     Pentti Kronqvist (born 1938) is the creator of the Nanoq Museum. He has participated in several journeys and expeditions to the Arctic, there among Greenland, Svalbard and Spitzbergen and the Russian Ice Sea coast.

33.)     Pentti Kronqvist built eight cottages in Fäboda between years 1956 and 1983. The first house he built the Bear's Lair (Björnidet). People became interested in this unique village in the middle of the forest, and soon it was a popular attraction. Now Nanoq gets 8,000 - 10,000 visitors from all over the world.

4)     With the help of donations and voluntary work, the museum opened its doors in May 1991, after thousands of hours of work. Today there are seven more buildings in the area in addition to the main building and the Bear's Lair, built over the years. 
5)     Arctic museum in Nanoq is unique because it’s always more interesting to hear the real story. Tours through the museum are guided by experienced people who love their job. Every minute you feel respect for them and their experiences, memories and stories they have brought from expeditions. It was really impressive to meet them!

Justina Mieldažytė

Museum of Pietarsaari

11.)     Museum of Pietarsaari was founded in 1904 and has been a municipal museum since 1908.

22.)     Museum represents town’s shipping history, the history of the Malm family, local history of the town and its people, as well buildings located in Jakobstad.

33.)     At the museum you can visit a ship owner’s office from the late 18th-century. The most important unit of the museum is the Malm House with outbuildings. It was built by storekeeper Peter Malm.

) 4.) The collections of objects, photographs, art and textiles relate the maritime history and trading traditions of the town. Exhibition includes furnished staff house, a farmhouse and a tackle chamber with seafaring exhibition. There is also a gift shop in the museum.                  Justina Mieldažytė                                                                                                                                                                              

 

The Arctic museum Nanoq

1. The Arctic museum Nanoq is situated in Fäboda, 7 km from the city center of Pietarsaari, Finland .

2. Museum.

3. Pentti Kronqvist built eight cottages in Fäboda between years 1956 and 1983. The building project began in 1988 by the newly founded association Nanuk r.f. With the help of donations and voluntary work, the museum opened its doors in May 1991, after thousands of hours of work.

4. The museum presents Arctic art, life and culture, stretching from Siberia to Greenland and including expeditions to the North Pole and the South Pole.  Nanoq is Finland’s first arctic museum.

5. Every year Nanoq gets 8,000 - 10,000 visitors from all over the world.

6. It was first  Arctic museum, wherein I have visited.

7.  It was very interesting to find out about  the Arctic history, life and culture.

Saulius Brazauskas

Museum in Pietarsaari

1-    Museum in Pietarsaari

2-    History of Jacobstad

3-    The museum was founded in 1904, but worked as a private museum until 1906. It is a historic museum which is concentrated on maritime and ship building. The main building of the museum is called Malmska gården.

4-  5-6-7. The second day of our experience in Finland, we went to visit the Museum in Pietarsaari, in which two women explained to us the history of the city and they showed us some photos of the most important people who lived there.

On June 19, 1652 Queen Christina of Sweden agreed to the Income Jacob de la Gardie the right to found a city in the parish Pedersöre. Unfortunately he died shortly after signing this right, but his widow ordered a plan for the city which was called the city Jakobstad.

The economic foundation was laid in the middle of the 18th century, with tar manufacturing and tobacco packaging at its centre. Trade started to develop rapidly in Jakobstad as of 1765, when the cities along the Finnish shore of the Gulf of Bothnia were granted privileges by the Swedish crown to trade directly with foreign countries. This also led to shipbuilding becoming a major activity in Jakobstad. The first ships to sail with goods to foreign countries were the galeas Jacobstads Wapen and the brig Enigheten. The first Finnish ship to sail to the East Indies was the frigate Concordia (1782-1785), the first ship on the Baltic Sea was the brig Ann Charlotte (1838) and the first ship to circumnavigate the world was called Hercules (1844 - 1848).

I was so surprised about the history of Jacobstad and the new instruments of navigation used by Finnish sailors at that time.  The ships were big for the economy increment of the city and they had the Russian flag, this is because Finland was under the control of the Russians.

It was an interesting visit, because all of us coming from the other countries could know what happened there lots of years ago.

          SARA MOHAMED

House of the States (Säätytalo) in Helsinki.

   1       1- House of the States (Säätytalo)

 2         2- Historical building opposite the Bank                    of Helsinki                     

            3- It was built in 1891 by Gustaf Nyström

 4-       4- It is a neo-renaissance building.

 5. It was the place where the three commoner states of the four statements (clergy, bourgeoisie and agricultural owners) were hoisted. In 1906 this statements were superseded by a unicameral parliament. Nowadays it houses sporadic governmental meetings, post electoral coalitions, the sessions of the High Court of Impeachment and scientific or university.

6-It is a typical governmental place and it is also common in Spain.

7. I like the building for its decorations and its dimensions.

Victor Fuente

Merilä ice fishing

Ice fishing.

All the Comenius students took a bus to Merilä, a village next to the sea. We shared lunch and after that we had the chance of walking on the Baltic Sea, which was frozen. We walked for 5 minutes more or less and two fisher men that came with us showed us how to make a hole in the sea, in order to fish though we didn’t fish anything. It was a new and very funny experience; we all have so much fun.

Noelia García

Helsinki’s Cathedral

Helsinki’s Cathedral is the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki. The church was originally built from 1830-1852 as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. The building belongs to the neoclassical style and it reminds the old Roman “Domus”.

Noelia García

Faith, Hope and Charity in Pietarsaari

 
1-Faith, Hope and Charity in Pietarsaari.
2-It is a sailor symbol with a cross, an anchor and a heart than represent faith, hope and charity respectively.
3-Exactly when the symbol was first considered as a sailors-symbol is hard to estimate, but there are many theories proving, that it had long been popular with seafarers.
4-Often the anchor, the cross and the heart were carved or painted on sailor's trunks. They were also popular motives to get tattooed on oneself.
5-symbol is hanged in the streets by Christmas time.
6-It is a original symbol and it is very important for the people who live in Pietarsaari.
7-The symbol has an interesting meaning and I think it is a very special way to represent the past of the village.
Victor Fuentes

Pedersöre Church

Pedersöre Church, built of  stone,  is one of the oldest churches in the area. It dates back to 13th century. During its history, the look of the church has varied a lot. 

Szabó Adriana

The Old Harbour

Pietarsaari  was founded at The Old Harbour of the parish Pedersöre. This name lives on in the Finnish name of the town which means Peter’s Island.

Pietarsaari Church

Pietarsaari Church is a Lutheran church. It was constructed in 1731 by Johan Knubb. The church has been built on the same place, where the first church in town was located before it was burned down by Russians in 1714.  

Merilä

Merilä a beautiful place on the seashore where you can try ice fishing or just stroll, breath the fresh air and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Pietarsaaren Lukio

Pietarsaaren Lukio a General Secondary School with aproximately 120 students and 15 teachers. They have been enjoying work in their new building for a year now. Well-equipped classrooms, spacious library, comfortable areas for learning and socializing. 

Szabó Adriana