The story of Old Rauma

You are walking through the wooden heart of Rauma, one of the only medieval towns in Finland. In 1991 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its unique wooden architecture and its well-preserved medieval town layout. The area covers only about 0.3 square kilometres, yet it holds roughly six hundred buildings, and about 800 people live here.

Fire shaped what you see: blazes in 1640 and 1682 destroyed much of the town, so the oldest buildings date from the 18th century, while the street plan still keeps its medieval structure. Notice that the wooden houses are almost all one storey. Homes line the main street, while grain houses and sheds were built along the narrow alleys.

Most buildings are privately owned and lived in. A few medieval survivors remain, among them the Church of the Holy Cross, inaugurated in 1512, and the Old Town Hall from 1776. The Kirsti and Marela houses, a seaman's and a shipowner's homes, are now museums.