Salpa Line Open Air Museum

This is the last of my posts (maybe) about our 2015 trip to Finland, read more here.

 Our last big stop in Finland was the Salpa Line Museum. A portion of a very long string of fortifications intended as a defense against possible Soviet incursions. The swampy lake filled north of Finland offered sufficient natural obstacles, but a very long line of trenches and tank traps were built in the southern part of the border.

Most of the line was left to return to nature, and a hiking trail follows its length. In this spot, however, a few large fortifications remain, and the trenches were shored up. The museum has had to rebuild the wooden retaining walls more than once, a testament to the wet climate.

 There were several underground cement bunkers, some were spotting and gunner posts, one was equipped with a major anti-tank weapon.

All were cunningly hidden in the landscape, and of course 70 years of moss and lichen would obscure them completely without caretakers.

One was a living quarter, with small bunks, a stove, and privy. It even had blast doors to seal one's self in, and grenade tubes for tossing out into enemy-filled hallways.

 Down a steep and slippery staircase was an almost working gun (presumably firing pins and such were removed). It had an impressive sighting mechanism, cranks to move it up and down or side to side, and a simple compass drawn on the hood in order to communicate to other positions.

 Mr. Crafty and I played with it for rather a long time...

In addition to these larger permanent bunkers there were the remains of several small gunner positions. These would be buried, of course.

The actual tank fortifications were these teeth like rows of large stones. They were quarried nearby and made into long rows to funnel tanks into bottlenecks at the roads. There were also ditches dug, with a sloping side and a drop off, to flip over tanks that tried to cross them. 

 The tank in question, a common Soviet model. Nicely placed so all the gun stations could practice pointing at it!

 A slightly camouflaged gun, further up the road. presumably useful if the first lines of defense did not stop the advance.

 And the big gun! You can see, in this photo, the on-and-off rain we enjoyed all day while walking around. We got slightly soggy, but still had a wonderful time. Even those less interested in the militaria (me!) could enjoy the lovely forest, and walk along the trench lines eating blueberries.

Alright, I think I'm mostly caught up on the last trip *phew* Now, let's get back to this year's adventure!

Finnish Air Force Museum

While on our journeys around Finland we had to swing by every military site we could find (Mr. Crafty is a Military Historian.) We stopped in at the Finnish Air Force Museum, which was filled to the brim with artifacts and machines.

The space was packed with old machines, some were very rare relics dating to the Finnish Civil War. Some were fully restored, some bore the marks of fighting, a few were just pieces dredged up from lakes.

For these planes all that remains in the impressively crafted wood propellers.

 In addition to the machines are a smattering of amusing models, wearing authentic uniforms, and engaging in presumably accurate activities.

 Like doodling at his radio post...

 These guys are my favorite, disseminating leaflets above Leningrad in their winter gear,

 Additionally, there were dozens of dioramas showing historic airfields and planes. Literally hundreds of miniature models were painted in every imaginable design and shapes. Most of the models and dioramas were actually from Japanese Model Clubs!

 Outside the exhibit continues. The newest machines were set out, only barely decommissioned.

Radar arrays from the Cold War also were set up with diagrams explaining their use in the lakelands of Finland.

Finland Travels - Kierikki Stone Age Center

On our way down from the Arctic Circle we had to make a few stops! I was on the lookout for sites of archeology and traditional culture, and of course beautiful natural beauty. 

We got all of that, and some learning, at Kierikki. The site includes a nice museum with interpretive material in English as well as Finnish. There's a mix of general information about Europe in the time period, the probable lives of humans at the time, and actual artifacts from the excavations here.

And a living history village! A number of reconstructions were built along the river, each one outfitted more or less as we expect they would be thousands of years ago. From the tanning hides and fire pits, to storage pits.

There were examples of traditional craftwork, using tools from the stone age. Many of these items were made by folks at Estonian Craft Camp as well, the tools were modern but the techniques are unchanged!

And of course, how could we skip the opportunity for a photo shoot? We need a few more longhaired rockers and we can start our own Scandinavian Metal Band.

Down by the river was a sunken storage house, for keeping food in summer and winter. In the Neolithic this settlement was on the ocean, and seemed to provide enough food for year-round living without agriculture. Seals seemed to have been an important source of both food and trade materials.

There was a row of these thatched long houses, often several connected so one could more between them without going outside! It seems like an important consideration in the long dark winters...

Since these ancient peoples would have also hunted for much of their food there were examples of traps and snares.

Most were constructed based on a mix of archeological evidence and ethnographic examples. Hunting remains very important to the Finns and Lapps, but more and more as recreation instead of a lifestyle.

Some traps were a bit cruel, trapping the animal alive. Below you see a circle of snares, and a small fall trap.

And how about this diabolic looking piece? I'm presuming they have a safety set up on this, as I imagine it would kill a human as readily as any large animal!

A classic pit trap, complete with spikes in the bottom! Simple, yet effective.

A very large fall trap. This seemed to be for trapping bears, which have great significance to traditional spiritual practices. Trapping a bear would be extremely dangerous, but also very important.

And finally, a box trap. The resemblance to a modern "humane" trap is uncanny...

A friend to guide us on our trek....

As with many spots we visited in this part of the country the ground was very wet and spongy. Great growing conditions for many of the native berries, not so great for keeping one's boots dry. Thus, a walkway built above the soft sections of forest.

The entire area along the river seems to have been occupied in the Neolithic and Early Bronze age. That indentation is a likely house site, and will be excavated in a coming season. Such indentations are common along this section of ground.

This season's active excavation, complete with grids and sifting bins. Despite the age of the site there is not a terribly thick layer of silt to work through.

The museum at Kierikki was fascinating and engaging, and the reconstructions are a wonderful touch for the history enthusiast. We sat and had our lunch around a fire, and enjoyed the forest walk. If you're ever in the area I would highly recommend!

The Arctic Circle

After our time in Estonia we returned to Finland, and ventured into the wild north. A Ferry and an overnight train dropped us at the Arctic Circle, with clear waters and fresh air... and a million mosquitos.

Finland is truly lake country, in our driving down the length of it we spent most of the time in view of a body of water, or crossing over one. The hilly countrysides simply lift one up high enough to see farther, and spot more lakes.

 There were a number of small cabins and campsites, it seems the Finns enjoy this lovely nature as much as we did!

 And of course, the wild life! After eating a fair bit of Reindeer in Lappish cuisine we encountered this fellow jogging down the road. It seems that these guys are not as jumpy as the Mule Deer of Colorado, as the locals were willing to weave around them like slow moving vehicles.

 We tried not to be too distracted by stopping at every lovely site, as we were headed to the Bronze Age! (That'll be the next post, gentle readers.)