Centuries ago, the seaside town Kristinestad was even called the Paris of the west coast for a while.
You can discover the reason in the Maritime Museum, upstairs of the town library on the market square.
Kristiinankaupunki experienced the golden age of sailing ships in the 1830s and 1850s, when its port became the busiest in the Gulf of Bothnia and its merchant fleet one of the largest in the country.
In 1859, the city had 46 ship owners and 668 sailors and a quarter of the townspeople made their living from shipping.
The ships, also built here, sailed the seas of the world, carrying tar and timber in their bellies, and returned loaded with cotton, tobacco, sugar, and, most importantly, salt.
The merchant ships and sailors also brought exotic objects from the sailing voyages, together with new ideas from foreign cultures.
So what was new in Paris was known here first :)
1 month ago