Details
Founded: 19th centuryCategory: Historic city squares, old towns and villages in Finland
Historical period: Russian Grand Duchy (Finland)
Interesting Sites Nearby
User Reviews
The city of Raahe was established in 1649 by Pietari (Per) Brahe, the General-Governor of Finland. Due the harbour Raahe began to grow and prosper in the 18th century. In 1791 the city was finally got the right to freedom of sailing abroad. The main export goods were tar, pitch and lumber.
in 1810 the great fire destroyed a third of all buildings in the town. In the post-fire reconstruction Raahe got the present marketplace, “Pekkatori”. Next disaster was the Crimean War in 1854-1855. British troops landed in Raahe in late May 1854 and burned the dockyard, the court of tar, 11 ships, 25 000 barrels of tar and other property. Fortunately the wind came from the mainland to the sea, which is why the city itself was spared from destruction. Despite the attack late 1800's was the heyday of city. During 1867-1875 Raahe was the largest merchant shipping city in Finland.
Today so-called Old Raahe is one of the most well-preserved wooden towns in Finland. There are about 150 old houses and 200 outbuildings mainly from the 19th century.
The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.