4 Requisites of Rauma
- Cat
- Apr 21, 2017
- 3 min read
Stepping into Old Rauma, you are instantly transported into a dream-like fairytale - complete with colorful wooden buildings and winding cobblestone lanes. It's a virtual Disneyland for history buffs. Given UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1991, the city boasts around 600 historic wooden buildings - nearly all of which are privately owned.
Though the buildings are relatively new (by European standards) being from the 18th century, the streets and pathways through Old Town date back to the Middle Ages. Pick a lane and follow on foot to discover the photographic treasures of this small town at every turn.
Park in the central area of Old Rauma, as close to the square as you can get. Parking is free for 2 hours on most streets (this is rare!) but make sure you use your parking disc and set the time to your time of ARRIVAL (rounding up to the half hour EX: Arrive at 10:05 round up to 10:30). We always have a hard time remembering whether it is arrival or departure! Once you park, start walking in any direction to enjoy the colorful architecture, but make sure you hit the four requisites below!
Get Lost in Old Rauma - Although this isn't actually possible, start wandering with no plan or direction. Admire all the pretty buildings (each of them are even named!). Get low for cool photography effects. Click through the gallery below.
Kontion Kahvilat - After getting lost, you definitely deserve a coffee and a snack! We've visited Rauma twice, and stopped at this cute cafe both times for coffee and a pastry. It's a small cafe that is famous for its vanilla doughnut (munkki). They don't have a gluten free comparable option unfortunately, but they do have gluten-free orange-chocolate muffins which are nice. Ignore the creepy teddy bears staring at you from every corner - Kontio means bear in Finnish, so it's appropriate even though it's odd sharing a table with a large stuffed animal! Our son loved having a "guest" sit with him and his pastry, but all I could do was imagine how people had touched it and how dirty it likely was! It was still a fun experience.
Despite stopping here twice, I've never gotten a photo. This photo courtesy of Visit Finland.
Punamulta History Center - If you've read our blog about the Finnish Red Houses, you'll enjoy learning more about how the paint is made in this area of Old Rauma. They have the traditional tools and ingredients and mix it in front of you.
Church of the Holy Cross - This church, built in the 15th century, is a beautiful small building on the edge of Old Rauma and the Rauma River (Raumanjoki). Although the exterior is not an impressive feat of architectural history, it is adorable and very picturesque. A tour of the interior reveals frescoes dating to 1510 and depicting the Biblical story of salvation.
BONUS: Telephone Museum - Not something I'd go looking for, this privately-owned museum is an oddity in town. It talks about the history of the telephone and has many samples across time to gaze at. Kids under 10 will marvel at the weird-looking things we used to use to call people. It's a little obscure and not easy to find, look for the cute metal sign and the telephone booth in the driveway.
Rauma is the third-oldest city in Finland and one we've visited several times. It's an easy day trip that can be managed from Helsinki. It is celebrating its 575th anniversary this year (the same year Finland celebrates its 100th year as an independent state)! Founded in 1442, Rauma is currently home to only about 40,000 people (Old Rauma is home to about 800).
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