Living at Suomenlinna

With the exception of a few private buildings, the residences at Suomenlinna are all rental flats owned by the state. The Governing Body of Suomenlinna is responsible for renting, repairing and maintaining the roughly 330 state-owned residences. Approximately one third of these flats are rented as job-related housing for the defence administration personnel.

Residential buildings at Suomenlinna

As Suomenlinna was transferred to civil administration in 1973, the governing body started renovations on the facilities previously used by the garrison. The residential buildings are located in various areas in the fortress from Kustaanmiekka all the way to the Länsi-Mustasaari island. There are no street addresses in Suomenlinna, but the addresses are given in the form of the letter of the island and number of the building. Some buildings are known by their name, such as Vaasan kasarmi (“Vaasa Barracks”), Pappila (“The Rectory”) or Nooakin arkki (“Noah’s Ark”).

Most buildings in residential use have been built during the Swedish or Russian periods. The most recent residential buildings were built in the 1990s on Iso-Mustasaari island. Most of the current residential buildings were originally built as barracks or flats for the officers. The first ones were converted to family flats in the 1800s. In the restoration works, the character and the properties of the buildings have usually been preserved well. The guiding principle of restoration has been not to incorporate building materials that were not used in the traditional method of construction.

As Suomenlinna was transformed from military to civil use, one of the objectives was to preserve the maritime fortress both as a museum and a living part of the city. Some of the buildings were in poor shape. The renovation project pertaining to the residential buildings was started in 1973 and will be finished once the last restoration phase of building C 54 is done. As a ground rule, the buildings fit for residential use are renovated primarily for that purpose.

Applying for flats

Suomenlinna interests many as a place to live, but flats seldom become vacant. New flats are not built, which means that they become available only when someone moves out or renovations are finished.

The flats at Suomenlinna are granted via a special application method. Each free flat must be applied for separately, and there is no waiting list. The beginning of the application period for flats is announced on the notice board, home page and recorded telephone announcement of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna. The flats can only be applied for once they become available, i.e. there are no regular periods of application.

The division of the flats is based on the general instructions on renting flats at Suomenlinna. The flats are not granted on social grounds. The tenant is chosen by the housing department of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna. According to the instructions, the selection favours persons who can assist in the care and services of the fortress. A versatile population, consisting of different age groups, social groups and professional groups, best serves the objective of maintaining the community structure characteristic of the old garrison town.