It’s quite neat to live in a country that has such a rich, interesting history . . . a lot of which is the result of sharing a long border with Russia.
This evening, as a year-end field trip for my Tuesday Adult English classes, we went to the battlefield in a nearby town (Oravais).
Our lesson began outside the Furirbostället – Sergeant’s Residence which was built in 1733 and used as an officer’s residence until 1809 (I will tell you what happened in 1809 shortly).
Inside we were shown how the building was restored to represent exactly how it would have looked when it was built, displays of what life was like for the soldiers and the villagers, a miniature of the battlefield and a film about the historical events of 1808-09. We were also served coffee and sandwiches.
Some important facts in Finland’s history:
- Finland was a part of Sweden for about 700 years (from the 12th to the 19th centuries) – that’s why we speak Swedish here in this area:)
- During the Napoleonic Wars, Finland was invaded (1808) by Russia, at the time an ally of Napoleon I, in an attempt to pressure Sweden into altering its pro-British stance.
- In 1809, one of the bloodiest, and ultimately the most pivotal battles, was fought and lost on the battlefield in Oravais. Sweden lost Finland to Russia, and the Swedish soldiers went back to Sweden.
- From 1809 – 1917 Finland was a Grand Duchy of Czarist Russia.
And that’s your history lesson for today. Hope you enjoyed it:)
Barb
7 friends had something to say . . .:
Fantastic! Thanks for the lesson. . .LOVE history!
I did enjoy that. Thank you. I always think/thought that it is beautiful country there where you are. Here in the midwest, anything about 100 years old is considered really really old.
Very interesting Barb. I didn't know any of that history. Looking foward to hearing more about Finland!
Hugs,
Patrice ;)
Wow! That was great. In my first go-round with homeschooling, we studied more of England, France, Germany, Italy, etc. We missed your country, sad to say. Maybe now that we have a Russian connection, we will get to that battle this go-round!
Thank you for the history lesson. I had learned part of that in History of Education. Sounds like you had a great time on this field trip.
sharon
Hej Barb. Du kan fortsätta historielektionen i samma kortfattade stil. Jag behöver sannerligen repetera!Hälsn A-L
Thank you very much, I still want to visit, but now that's one less tourist place that I will have to have you drive me to! :)
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