Sights and landmarks in Vaasa

Sights and landmarks in Vaasa

1. See

   Aava Kertun Kotitila

   Aava Kerttus husdjursgård

   Pet farm in an old rural environment. You can also have a cup of coffee and freshly baked buns.

   €7

2. See

   Brage Open Air Museum

   Bragen ulkomuseo

   The museum consists of a complete 19th-century farm with interesting buildings and interiors from the Swedish-speaking part of Ostrobothnia.

3. See

   Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art

   A museum for contemporary art opened to the public in 2007 in a former customs warehouse in the Inner Harbour of Vaasa.

4. See

   Market place and Finland's Statue of freedom

   The market place is the centre of the city life. Finland's Statue of Freedom, unveiled in the summer of 1938 is in the northern end of the market square – the headquarters of the Whites was in Vaasa.

5. See

   Old Vaasa

   Gamla Vasa, Vanha Vaasa

   Ruins from the first town of Vaasa that burned down in 1852 and an 18th-century court building that survived the destruction but was redone into the Church of Korsholm when the town was rebuilt at a new location closer to the sea. The banks of the 14th-century Korsholm castle are still visible and can be found west of the Church of Korsholm.

6. See

   Ostrobothnian Museum and Terranova Kvarken Nature Centre

   Pohjanmaan Museo

   If you are interested in the region's history then you should visit this place. The Terranova Kvarken Nature Centre displays the uniqueness of the nature in the area (something that should be experienced first hand out in the open air of the archipelago).

7. See

   Replot bridge

   Replot Bro, Raippaluodon Silta

   Finland's longest bridge: 1045 m. The main opening is 250 m, the pylons 82.5 m high. The bridge leads to Replot, Finland's eighth largest island. Just a bit before the bridge is a lovely public beach where you can easily camp for a day or two. You can also continue your trip out to the islands where there are restaurants and other things to discover. A visitor centre to the Kvarken Archipelago is by the bridge.

8. See

   Strömsö

   The popular do-it-yourself tv-show Strömsö which has aired since 2002 on Finnish television with topics from woodworking to cooking and knitting has been shot on this former farm with the same name. It can be visited on guided tours during the summer, otherwise you can look at it from the outside.

9. See

   Stundars

   Large open-air museum made up of about 60 buildings. It is a living centre for culture and art. Christmas market on a December weekend.

   Daily in summer, occasionally in the rest of the year

10. See

    Söderfjärden

    10 km south of Vaasa in the rural area of Sundom is a big cultivated area called Söderfjärden. When you climb up Öjberget, a hill right beside the big flat area, you see that the whole area is round. This is because it is an old crater which was caused by impact of a meteorite 520 million years ago. A visitor centre Meteoria (Meteoriihi) is located in the middle of the crater.

11. See

    The Tikanoja Art Museum

    Tikanojan taidekoti

    A traditional art museum in the former home of local businessman Frithjof Tikanoja (1877–1964). The museum was started when he donated his private collection to the city. The collection includes works by Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, but also works by Finnish masters like Albert Edelfelt, Axel Gallen-Kallela, Maria Wiik and Tyko Sallinen. The museum also has touring exhibitions.

12. See

    Trinity Church and surroundings

    In the vicinity of the Neo-Gothic Trinity Church you will find City Hall, which also houses the Tourist office on the bottom floor. Along Vaasanpuistikko on the south side of the Church is the City Council and close by is Vaasan Lyseon Lukio, which is a Finnish-speaking upper secondary school. West of the church is another school building with the text Lyceum. This is Vasa Övningsskolas Gymnasium, which is a Swedish-speaking upper secondary school.

13. See

    Vaasa City Library

    Check out what is happening in your corner of the world in the international papers provided in the City Library. If you can't find a suitable paper then try the internet on one of the computers. It's free. And while you are there, breathe in some of the cultural history involved. The first lending library in Finland was established in Vaasa 2.8.1794. The current city library was built in 1936 and in 2001 an extensive renovation and enlargement of the library was completed taking both old and new elements into account..

14. See

    Vaasa Maritime museum

    Get to know the seafaring past of Vaasa in this museum which is housed in an old storage building which was built by the great shipowner C.G. Wolff in the 19th century.

15. See

    Waterfront

    Take a walk in the park areas along the waterfront. Many sights are along the way, like the neo-gothic Court of Appeals and the 19th-century Vaasa prison, which is still in use (though extensively modernized on the inside) and has a shop which sells crafts made by the prisoners.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Vaasa (CC BY-SA 4.0).