World Heritage Photos

Old Rauma is an outstanding example of a historic Nordic city constructed in wood. Rauma is a harbour town on the west coast of Finland on the Gulf of Bothnia. Old Rauma is the wooden city centre of Rauma. The houses of Old Rauma were built without nails but joined by notching and reinforced with wooden spikes, just like the Petäjävesi Old Church. The wooded houses of Old Rauma were rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1682. Most of the wooden houses date from the 18th and 19th centuries, they were built around the Church of the Holy Cross. The church was part of a Franciscan monastery, the 15th century church is the only remaining part of the monastery. The church is adorned with breathtaking medieval wall paintings, the tower was used as a maritime signpost. Old Rauma consist of some six hundred wooden houses, painted in pastel colours or in Falu-red. Most of the houses of Old Rauma are private homes. Some of them are museums, such as the house of a seafarer, the Kirsti House from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the 18th century Marela House, the house of a shipowner. The Old Town Hall was built in 1776, it houses now the Rauma Museum, one of the oldest museums in Finland. Old Rauma is situated about 22 km west of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sammallahdenmäki. Old Rauma gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1991.

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   Old Rauma is a typical Scandinavian wooden town. Rauma was founded in 1442, it is the third oldest town in Finland. The historic wooden houses of Old Rauma were built in the 18th and 19th centuries around the 15th century Church of the Holy Cross. The wooden houses of Old Rauma were built without nails but joined by notching and reinforced with wooden spikes. Old Rauma was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

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   Old Rauma: The Baltic Biennale, an artwork next to the fieldstone Church of the Holy Cross. The grey granite church stands on the banks of the small stream Raumanjoki, the Rauma River. The church was built in the 15th century. The bell tower was built in 1816. Old Rauma was once one of the largest harbour cities in Finland. The steeple of the Church of the Holy Cross served as a landmark for seafarers. 

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   Old Rauma: The Church of the Holy Cross is embellished with colourful medieval wall and vault paintings. The walls and vaults of the chancel are adorned with numerous fresco-secco murals depicting the biblical story of salvation. The murals were created between 1510 and 1522. The 15th century Church of the Holy Cross is the main parish church of Rauma, the two-aisle church can seat about 800 people and is open daily.

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   Old Rauma: The interior of the stone Church of the Holy Cross is adorned with an overwhelming number of coloured fresco-secco murals. The church was built as the monastery church of the Franciscan Friary of Old Rauma. Old Rauma arose around the monastery. During the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic monastery was forced to close. The Church of the Holy Cross is the only remaining building of the monastery, it became an Evangelical-Lutheran church in 1640.

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   Walking around Old Rauma is like stepping centuries back in time, the narrow meandering cobbled streets, the wooden garden gates and wooden fences bordering the gardens, are still preserved. Old Rauma is a fine example of an old Nordic city constructed in wood. Some of the houses are museums, such as the house of a seafarer, the Kirsti House from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the 18th century Marela House, the house of a shipowner. 

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   Old Rauma: The narrowest alley in Finland is called Kitukränn. Old Rauma is also known for its long tradition in bobbin lace making. Lace making in Rauma goes back to the 1740s. The Lace Week is an annual event in Rauma. Old Rauma is the wooden city centre of Rauma, one of the oldest harbour towns of Finland, situated on the Gulf of Bothnia. Old Rauma was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.

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   Old Rauma is the historic wooden city centre of Rauma, a town in Finland. The wooden town was completely destroyed by a fire in 1640, it was rebuilt immediately but burned down again in 1682. The present wooden houses of Old Rauma date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Old Rauma consist of some six hundred wooden houses, painted in the Scandinavian pastel colours or in the traditional Swedish Falu red paint, in Finland known as 'punamulta' (Red Earth).

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   A 300-year-old garden gate is the oldest wooden gate in Old Rauma, a wooden town in Finland. The medieval streets of Old Rauma are lined with colourful wooden houses. Most of the houses are privately owned and are still inhabited. Old Rauma consists of around six hundred wooden houses, most of them are not open to the public. Some of the wooden houses are turned into museums, such as the Kirsti House and the Marela House.

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    A small pittoresque wooden house lining the Market Square of Old Rauma. The Old Town Hall is also situated on the Market Square. The Old Town Hall was built in 1776. Today, the building houses the Rauma Museum, the museum was founded in 1891 and is dedecated to the history of Old Rauma and local handmade lace making. Old Rauma is situated about 255 km northwest of Helsinki, the capital city of Finland.

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    A corner-joint construction of one of the wooden houses in Old Rauma. All of the 18th and 19th century wooden houses of Old Rauma were constructed without using a single nail, but joined by notching and reinforced with wooden spikes, just like most of the historic wooden houses in Finland. Most of the buildings in Old Rauma has retained their Neo-Renaissance style exterior. Old Rauma is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where people live and work.