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Founded: 18th-19th centuriesCategory: Historic city squares, old towns and villages in Finland
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment (Finland)
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The city of Loviisa was founded in 1745, as a border fortress against Russia. It is named after Lovisa Ulrika, the Swedish Queen consort of Adolf Frederick of Sweden. The old town survived from the great fire in 1855 and is today one of the most vell-preserved wooden towns in Finland.
Narrow sandstone and cobblestone streets and small wooden cottages provide fashionable sights for visitors.
The sea stretches all the way to the town centre. The Laivasilta area is related to the region's sailing history and is characterised by its red salt warehouses, making it a popular area for meetings and events durin summers.
The city walls of Avila were built in the 11th century to protect the citizens from the Moors. They have been well maintained throughout the centuries and are now a major tourist attraction as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can walk around about half of the length of the walls.
The layout of the city is an even quadrilateral with a perimeter of 2,516 m. Its walls, which consist in part of stones already used in earlier constructions, have an average thickness of 3 m. Access to the city is afforded by nine gates of different periods; twin 20 m high towers, linked by a semi-circular arch, flank the oldest ones, Puerta de San Vicente and Puerta del Alcázar.