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Founded: 19th centuryCategory: Historic city squares, old towns and villages in Finland
Historical period: Russian Grand Duchy (Finland)
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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.
Frösöstenen is the northern-most raised runestone in the world and Jämtland's only runestone. It originally stood at the tip of ferry terminal on the sound between the island of Frösön and Östersund. The stone dates to between 1030 and 1050. It has now been relocated to the lawn in front of the local county seat due to the construction of a new bridge, between 1969 and 1971, on the original site.
Frösö runestone inscription means: Austmaðr, Guðfastr's son, had this stone raised and this bridge built and Christianized Jämtland. Ásbjörn built the bridge. Trjónn and Steinn carved these runes.