History
Even before Hanko, the southernmost town in Finland, was founded in 1874, the peninsula was an important anchorage. Hanko has also been a major point of departure from Finland. Between 1881 and 1931, about 250, 000 Finns left for the USA and Canada via the Hanko docks.
At the end of the Winter War, the March 1940 peace treaty with Russia required Finland to cede to them the Hanko peninsula as a naval base. The Russians moved in with a garrison of 30, 000 and constructed a huge network of fortifications. After several bloody naval engagements, Hanko eventually was abandoned in December 1941, having been isolated from the Russian frontlines. The citizens of Hanko returned to their damaged town the next spring.
Hanko
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