Travel Guide Rauma

With a population of 40,000, Rauma is one of Finland's most unique and pleasant towns. This former port and lace-making town with its old wooden quarters is one of the best preserved in the country. It is the largest complex of its kind in the Nordic countries. Miraculously untouched by fire, some 600 wooden houses display their delightful pastel-colored facades in a maze of cobbled streets covering almost 30 hectares. In 1991, the town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in 1442 on the outskirts of an ancient port, Rauma grew up around a 15th-century Franciscan monastery. In 1550, however, its inhabitants were forced to move to Helsinki to populate the new city that the Swedish king, Gustav I Vasa, decided to found. This forced exodus weakened the community. The origins of lacemaking remain uncertain. The only certainty is that Rauma lace has long been a benchmark in the field. Another peculiarity is the astonishing language spoken in the area as a result of the city's maritime activity. This blend of Latin, Old Flemish, Estonian, Swedish and English has given rise to a distinctive dialect that is difficult for other Finns to understand. Rauma - in addition to preserving and enhancing its past - is also looking to the future.