World Heritage Photos

Old Rauma – A Historic Legacy of Wood

Old Rauma is an outstanding example of a historic Nordic city constructed from 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 wooden houses of Old Rauma were rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1682.

The majority of the wooden houses date from the 18th and 19th centuries, most of which 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. Its interior is adorned with breathtaking medieval wall paintings. The tower was used as a maritime signpost. Old Rauma consists 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 and now houses the Rauma Museum, one of the oldest in Finland. The historic wooden town of Old Rauma is situated about 22 kilometres west of the World Heritage Site Sammallahdenmäki. Old Rauma was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

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   Old Rauma is an authentic Scandinavian town featuring numerous historic wooden houses. The Church of the Holy Cross stands at the heart of the town. A walk through this historic centre feels like a journey into the past. Lining the town's narrow streets are unique wooden houses, most of which have their own names. Many of these houses are home to small shops selling Finnish products, studios where artists and artisans work, as well as restaurants and cafés. Old Rauma was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

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   An artistic expression during the Rauma Biennale Balticum next to the fieldstone Church of the Holy Cross in Old Rauma. The grey granite church stands on the banks of the small stream Raumanjoki (River Rauma). The church was built in the 15th century and is the only remaining part of a Franciscan monastery. The bell tower was built in 1816. Old Rauma was once one of the largest harbour towns in Finland. The steeple of the Church of the Holy Cross served as a landmark for seafarers. 

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   The Church of the Holy Cross in Old Rauma 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. These unique artworks were created between 1510 and 1522. The 15th century Church of the Holy Cross is the main parish church of Rauma; the two-aisled church can seat about 800 people and is open daily.

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   The walls around the altar of the stone Church of the Holy Cross in Old Rauma are adorned with a wealth of imposing fresco-secco murals. The church was built as the monastery church of the Franciscan Friary of Old Rauma. The town arose around this 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, as the narrow meandering cobbled streets, the wooden garden gates and wooden fences bordering the properties, are still preserved. Old Rauma is a fine example of an old Nordic city constructed from 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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   Most of Old Rauma is not a pedestrian zone; residents are permitted to drive and park within the town. As a visitor, you walk through the wooden town along cobblestone streets or sandy paths and pass through Kitukränn, known as the narrowest street in Finland. Old Rauma is also known for its long tradition of bobbin lace-making. Lace-making in Rauma goes back to the 1740s. The Rauma Lace Week is a major cultural festival in the town, held annually in July. Old Rauma is the wooden town centre of Rauma, a city in Finland on the Gulf of Bothnia. 

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   A number of wooden houses in Old Rauma along a medieval alley. The city's history is linked to several disastrous fires. The most devastating fire occurred in 1640, when the city was almost completely reduced to ashes. After being rebuilt, the wooden houses burned down again in 1682, but the city was rebuilt once more. The present wooden houses of Old Rauma date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The town consistsof some six hundred wooden houses, painted in Scandinavian pastel colours or in the traditional Swedish Falu-red.

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   The 300-year-old Naola garden gate is the oldest wooden gate in Old Rauma. The distinctive diamond and herringbone pattern of the wooden doors was typical of the finer middle-class homes of that era. The medieval streets of Old Rauma are lined with colourful wooden houses. They are painted in traditional Scandinavian pastel shades or – just like this famous gate – in the traditional Swedish Falun red paint, known in Finland as 'punamulta' (Red Earth). Most of the houses are privately owned and are still inhabited; the majority is not open to the public. 

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    A picturesque wooden house lining the Kauppatori (Market Square) of Old Rauma. This small house acquired its distinctive Art Nouveau gable during a renovation around 1891. Opposite the house stands the Old Town Hall which, along with the church, is the only building in Old Rauma constructed from stone. In 1891, the Rauma Museum was established there, dedicated to local handmade bobbin lace and the rich history of the town. During the Night of Black Lace, part of Lace Week, this square becomes the bustling heart of the town.

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    A corner-joint construction of one of the wooden houses in Old Rauma. In this system, the horizontal logs of the outer and inner walls interlock via notches. The weight of the wood causes the structure to lock itself together, eliminating the need for nails or screws to keep the wall sturdy and stable. Like most wooden houses in Finland, the houses in Old Rauma are built in this way. Most of the buildings in Old Rauma have retained their Neo-Renaissance exterior. Old Rauma is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where people live and work.