"The Capital of Aland" a Mariehamn Travel Page by Jarra

The summer town Mariehamn is the capital of autonomous Aland. Aland is a demilitarised Swedish-speaking region with a right of self-government secured through international guarentees. Also in everyday life you can quite easily see many marks of its autonomous status. Aland has it own flag, own stamp, own license plate and so on. The current population of Aland is 26200. The population of Mariehamn is 10600.

A youthful town, Mariehamn was founded in 1861 while Aland and Finland formed part of the mighty Russian Empire. Maria, consort of Czar Alexander II of Russia, gave the town her name. Nowadays Mariehamn is a small-scale city with well-developed services for visitors. A town with a varied sporting and cultural life and pleasant green oases. The town has a large number of shops in relation to its size. In summer an almost Continental atmosphere reigns in Torggatan, the foremost (and only) shopping street.

Maritime town is a very suitable name for Mariehamn. Alanders have always been seafarers, and Aland cargo shipping received an impetus after 1850, when Aland ships became larger and larger, and their voyages longer and longer. Modern shipping flourishes in Mariehamn, where many shipping companies have their offices, specializing in passenger services, carriage of goods and international tanker trade. Almost 1,5 million people a year come to Aland, most of them arriving by one of the ferries at the Western Harbour of Mariehamn.