Rauma Travel Guide, Finland

Rauma Travel Guide – The Little Wonder

This Rauma travel guide will give you just the teasers you need to go and visit the small but fascinating city in Finland. Rauma is located on the western coast of Finland, some 90 kilometers north of Turku and 50 kilometers south of Pori. You should imagine the city as an idyllic setting with a long, rich history and a thriving cultural life. It has about 40.000 inhabitants, all of whom enjoy the best possible public services, from health and education to the best leisure time options, and everything in a clean and safe environment. Rauma was founded in 1442 (then under Swedish rule) and by the end of the 19th century it had the largest fleet in Finland, which gave it economical and cultural prosperity. Today it is the fifth largest port in Finland and it handles about six million tons of cargo each year.

Rauma Travel Guide – The Lace Artists

The most important Rauma travel guide fact concerns the city centre, Old Rauma that is entirely made of wood and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. It has about 600 houses that have survived successive fires and the oldest date back to the 18th century. There are families that currently occupy them, but some are also functioning as business headquarters, and the area itself is the largest entirely preserved site of its kind in the whole of Northern Europe. Rauma has also been known for its high quality lace since the 18th century, and there was a time when this was the main activity in the city. Now this is visible mainly through the Lace Week festival, when Old Rauma is home to many lace exhibitions and sales, demonstrations and concerts. For one night during the festival, all lace shops are open till late at night and people dress in black lace, creating a specific and unique atmosphere.

Rauma Travel Guide – Industry and Sailing

Most of the people in Rauma work in the heavy industry sector and in public and private services, and in recent years Rauma became more and more of an industrial city. The shipbuilding and paper mills are two of the main industries in the city, but there is also the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant located just outside the city that is a major employer for the population in Rauma. Most of the local families own boats, so after a long day at work it is not uncommon to take the boat and go for a quick sail on one of the neighboring islands, Reksaari and Kuuskajaskari. If you want to travel to nearby cities there are buses available and the closest airport is located in Puri.