Kristinestad

Introducing Kristinestad

Peaceful little Kristinestad (Finnish: Kristiinankaupunki) is a small, idyllic seaside town with a proud seafaring history. Once an important port shipping tar and timber to distant harbours, it's now more or less in retirement (although timber and potatoes still employ plenty of locals), and languishes gracefully on the shores of a bay, whose waters sparkle azure on a sunny summer's day.

Named after Queen Kristina of Sweden, Kristinestad is, like many other towns on this coast, bilingual - some 58% of inhabitants are Swedish-speakers. Founded in the mid 17th century by the maverick count Per Brahe, the town rapidly became an important shipbuilding and trading centre. With the arrival of steamships, Kristinestad's importance declined, and many residents moved to Sweden.

Kristinestad is quite small, with a village feel and everything except the camping ground within a block or two of the market square.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009