World Heritage Photos

Struve Geodetic Arc – A Scientific Chain Towards the Black Sea

The Struve Geodetic Arc consists of a chain of 265 triangulation survey stations. The chain was initiated and used by the astronomer and geodesist Friedrich von Struve to determine the exact shape and size of the Earth. The Geodetic Arc stretches from a station point at Hammerfest in Norway to a station point close to the Black Sea in Ukraine, through ten countries and over 2,820 kilometres. Friedrich von Struve carried out the triangulation measurements from 1816 to 1855. The arch is named after him.

The Struve Geodetic Arc is an outstanding example of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries. The Alatornio Church in the twin cities of Haparanda and Tornio is a station point of the Geodetic Arc in Finland. The Tartu Tähetorn Observatory in Estonia and the Alatornio Church are the only buildings that were used for the measurements. One of the station points in Lithuania is located near Meskonys, a small village not far from Vilnius. The UNESCO World Heritage Site includes 34 of the station points, with different markings, such as drilled holes in a rock, iron crosses, obelisks and buildings. The 34 station points of the Struve Geodetic Arc were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

A portrait of the scientist Friedrich von Struve

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   The Alatornio Church in the twin cities Haparanda and Tornio is a station point of the Struve Geodetic Arc in Finland. These cities lie on the border between Finland and Sweden, right where the River Tornio meets the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia. The church was measured in 1842; the markings can still be seen on the walls of its tower. The Geodetic Arc was named after the scientist Friedrich von Struve; he established the Arc to determine the exact shape and size of the Earth. It consists of a chain of 265 triangulation survey stations. The Struve Geodetic Arc gained status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005; the site includes 34 station points.

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   Struve Geodetic Arc: The tower of Alatornio Church in the twin cities of Haparanda and Tornio. The Finnish church served as an international meeting point. It was the ultimate destination for the Finnish team, which had extended the triangulation chain northward from the south. From this exact point, the Swedish-Norwegian scientific expedition team took over to continue the measurements further north towards the Arctic Ocean. The Struve Geodetic Arc stretches from a station point at Hammerfest in Norway to a station point close to the Black Sea in Ukraine. The Geodetic Arc is important for the production of correct world maps.

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   Struve Geodetic Arc: Science and history intersect at this cemetery in Tornio. Researchers utilised the tower the Alatornio Church as an elevated triangulation point; this was necessary to rise above the flat landscape and secure a clear line of sight to surrounding survey points. While scientists calculated mathematical triangles high up in the tower in 1842, the adjacent historic Parasniemi cemetery below had served as the local community's final resting place since the Middle Ages. The Finnish cemetery around the Alatornio Church is known for the neatly raked, orange-brown sand surfaces of its graves, a feature highly characteristic of this region.