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12 August 2023 / 10 Comments

Things to do in Raahe, Finland - 10 tips

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What to do in Raahe, Finland? This is a small and very charming town with a lovely wooden housing area, several interesting museums and a lovely location by the water. Here are all our top tips for things to see and do in Raahe.

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Raahe in Finland

Raahe was founded in the mid-17th century by Governor General and Count Per Brahe. In the 19th century, the town was transformed into an important maritime town, which at one time had the largest merchant fleet in Finland. Today, Raahe is a quiet little town on the coast, which attracts visitors thanks to its historic and beautiful wooden town centre and several interesting museums.

The municipality is monolingual Finnish so you can't expect to speak Swedish here. However, we had a guided tour in Swedish at one of the museums we visited.

Att göra i Brahestad i Finland

Raahe is located on the west coast of Finland, about 7.5 kilometres southwest of Oulu.

What can you do in Raahe?

So what can you do in Raahe? First of all, you might want to check out the charming wooden neighbourhoods. But maybe you also want to see the world's oldest diving suit? Here are our top tips.

1. walking in the wooden house town

The Old Town of Raahe is one of the best preserved 19th century wooden towns in Finland. You can take a guided walk here to learn more about the history, but it's also nice to wander around on your own. The houses are wonderfully charming, with lovely light colours and a lot of carpentry.

Att göra i Brahestad i Finland
Att göra i Brahestad i Finland
Att göra i Brahestad i Finland

2. Check out Finland's longest (?) wooden house wall

No, it's probably not Finland's longest wooden house wall if you want to be strict, but in some places you can still see this wall mentioned. Maybe it's because it's so undulating and almost windowless, and because it offers a different element to the wooden house town. If nothing else, it could make for a great photo!

Att göra i Brahestad i Finland

3. Look inside Brahestad's church

Brahestad's old church was built on the highest hill in Brahestad in 1655, but was unfortunately destroyed in a fire in 1908. The new church, designed and built by Josef Stenbäck, was inaugurated in 1912. The interior of the church is beautiful, with bright colours and details reminiscent of seafaring.

Att göra i Brahestad i Finland - kyrkan
Att göra i Brahestad i Finland - kyrkan

4. look into Brahestatyn

When you're in Raahe, you have to check out the Brahe statue, which depicts the Governor General and Count Per Brahe. The statue was erected in 1888 and was made by Walter Runeberg.

The statue is located in the centre of Pekkatori Square, which is a central part of Old Raahe. Incidentally, the square was built according to the ideals of the Italian Renaissance, shortly after Raahe burned down in 1810.

Att göra i Brahestad i Finland

5. Visit the Packhouse Museum

Down by the quay, in a light blue and charming wooden house, is the Packhus Museum. Here you can learn more about the famous age of shipping in Raahe. There is also a small church hall with fantastic and colourful wooden sculptures made for the old church of Raahe.

packhusmuseet
Packhusmuseet
Att göra i Brahestad i Finland - Packhusmuseet

6. Join a guided tour of the Sovelius House.

In the centre of Raahe there is a green house called Soveliushuset. This house, built in 1781, is probably the oldest preserved residential building in the entire city. On the lower floor there is a photo exhibition and on the upper floor you can see an entire home, decorated as a wealthy bourgeois home.

To see the home, you have to go on a guided tour. We were lucky and got the guided tour in Swedish. You probably can't count on that, but drop by and ask if a guided tour can be given in Swedish or English. A visit here is very interesting!

Soveliushuset
Soveliushuset
Att göra i Brahestad i Finland - Soveliushuset

7. Fascinated by the Old Pharmacy

The Old Pharmacy is a really cool museum that you don't want to miss when visiting Raahe. At Kauppakatu 31, you step right into a time bubble. Here you will find a well-preserved pharmacy that looks exactly as it once did. The museum is free to visit and a guide is on hand to answer questions and tell you more about the history of the pharmacy. A very pleasant and interesting visit!

Gamla Apoteket
Gamla Apoteket
Att göra i Brahestad i Finland - Gamla Apoteket

8. See the world's oldest diving suit

Kronans magasin is another interesting museum in Raahe, where you can learn a lot about the history of the area. By far the most interesting thing about this museum is that they display "The Old Gentleman of Raahe", which is the oldest preserved diving suit in the world.

The diving suit dates from the early 18th century and is made of calfskin, which was made waterproof using pork fat, tar and pitch. The person crawled in through a hole in the stomach and got air through wooden tubes attached to the top of the head. The diving suit was then used to work on boat hulls, for example.

In fact, a modern replica of the suit has been made, in the same material but in a slightly larger size, for testing. And yes, some brave people have tested the diving suit - and it works!

Världens äldsta dykardräkt
The world's oldest diving suit
Kopia av världens äldsta dykardräkt
A modern copy of the diving suit

9. go on a boat trip in the archipelago

Raahe is located on the coast, and outside it is an archipelago with many small islands, such as Tasku, Iso-Kraaseli and Kalla. In the summer, archipelago cruises and island hopping tours are organised, where you can visit several islands in a few hours. The tours leave from the quayside next to the Packhouse Museum and should be booked in advance.

Att göra i Brahestad i Finland

10. Discover the Matti Lepistö sculpture park

One thing we missed doing in Raahe was visiting the Matti Lepistö Sculpture Park, just north of the centre of Raahe. With hindsight, we would have liked to see this special park, so we recommend it so that you don't miss it if you visit Raahe.

The sculptures in the park were created by Brahestad's self-trained artist Matti Lepistö (1948-2020) and the park appears to be a unique and very special place. There are almost 300 sculptures, with many different themes. The park is also featured in the Finnish film Susikoira Roi, shown on C More.

Matti Lepistö sculpture park, photo via Visit Raahe, photographer: Minna Haveri

More to see and do in Brahestad

Of course, there is even more to see and do in Raahe beyond our suggestions. You can find some more tips here.

  • Koskipuisto Park is located in Pyhäjoki south of Raahe and offers beautiful nature with a rapids.
  • Pattijoki stone arch bridge is a beautiful old bridge from 1896-1897.
  • Saloinen Museum is a museum south of Raahe with 18 buildings that tell the story of the old days of fishing and agriculture.
  • The Automobile Museum showcases a bunch of old cars from the Raahe area.
Skulptur
Small park with sculptures in the centre of Raahe
Byggnad
Magnificent school building in the centre of Raahe

Where can you stay in Raahe, or park your campervan?

In Raahe there are several different hotels, guest houses and apartments to choose from. You can check the website of the tourist office, for example, to find the right one. We are travelling by motorhome, but did not stay overnight and continued north. If you want to stay overnight with a caravan, there is the campsite SF-Caravan Lohenspyrstö, just north of Raahe. Of course, you can also check the app "Park4Night" for free campsites.

Att göra i Brahestad i Finland

More to do near Brahestad

If you want to continue exploring the Finnish coastline to the north, you can get to the city of Ouluor perhaps to the island of Karlö (Hailuoto in Finnish). If you head south instead, you can discover the beautiful sand dunes and the the sandy beaches of Kalajoki. Below you will find even more tips for things to see and do in Finland.

All our top tips about Finland. Click on the image!

Even more tips for things to do in Raahe?

Have you visited Raahe in Finland? Do you have any other tips on what to see and do in Raahe? Let us know!

Facts about Raahe

  • Country: Finland
  • Landscape: Northern Ostrobothnia
  • Population: More than 24 000 (2021)
  • The name: Brahestad in Swedish and Raahe in Finnish. The name comes from Governor General Per Brahe the Younger.
  • Language: 96.5 % Finnish and 0.1 % Swedish
  • Currency: Euro
  • Read more: You can find more information at tourist office website.

History of Brahestad

  • The Middle Ages: The parish of Salois was here
  • 1649: The Governor General, Count Per Brahe the Younger, issued a charter for the town of Salois, north of the then Salois church village.
  • 1652: Per Brahe acquired the parish of Saloi and named it Raahe, which in Finnish became Raahe. Surveyor Claes Claesson was asked to draw up the town plan, which followed the regular square-shaped ideals of the Renaissance.
  • 1651: A wooden church began to be built.
  • 1659: A drawing from this year shows that the city was enclosed by a customs fence with two customs gates.
  • 1791: The city received stacking rights.
  • 1810: Raahe was hit by a fire, including the town hall.
  • 19th century: Raahe was a maritime town, which at times had the largest merchant fleet in Finland.
  • 1908: The town's wooden church burned down.

You might also like:

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12 August 2023 6:00
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10 Comments

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  1. Lena - gott för själen says:

    It seems like a nice destination too. Fascinating with the diving suit! (It looks like you've put in pictures of those and the copy, but I can't get them up despite Chrome).

    Hug Lena

    12 August 2023 - 8:21

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Yes, a very nice city! How strange that you can't see those pictures! Peter and I both see them, on different computers and with different browsers, and they are uploaded in the same way as all the other images, so I don't think anything is wrong, but we'll see if anyone else comments. Have you tried reloading the page?

      12 August 2023 - 8:30

      Reply

      • Marias memoarer says:

        It was no problem for me to see the pictures of the diving suits, so there seems to be nothing wrong with the pictures 😊.

        12 August 2023 - 9:01

        Reply

        • Comment by post author

          Helena says:

          Thank you Maria, great to hear!

          12 August 2023 - 19:07

          Reply

        • Arja says:

          How nice that you have visited and written about Raahe in Swedish. In the past, Raahe has been Swedish-speaking. Hope there are many more, who read the pages and get the urge to visit us. There are also nice cafes, restaurants and live music to enjoy in the city. Welcome back.

          14 August 2023 - 21:37

          Reply

      • Lena - gott för själen says:

        Hello again!

        Now I got the pictures up! Fun to see! Really interesting that it worked with that material! Some difference in length too 🙂

        Hug Lena

        14 August 2023 - 9:45

        Reply

  2. Monica says:

    No problem for me either with the diving suits but never heard of similar😄.

    Interesting to see so much from your trip and that you were in so many different places. Will look more and always learn something and that is good, was our country for so many hundreds of years.

    It's a bit like many Swedes who have travelled to London and tell how it is in the UK with everything😉 the food they have eaten in tourist traps etc. Admittedly a world city but could be in any country.

    And a bit similar to Finland, we visit Helsinki, Turku maybe but don't know at all what it looks like in other cities and rural areas. Åland too, but it's a bit different anyway.

    And how many colleagues and others with ties to Finland have not been in contact with them, but know no more about their home country than people from far away countries.

    Now I only have experience of Finnish-born people that they talk about how good they are because they went to so much better schools than us and are the best in the world😄we must take it with a pinch of salt but good to have self-confidence but at the same time the competence varies just like here. And it became tiring to hear but we Swedes adapt so they had to keep going. And not everyone of course talks like that but enough people do.

    My schools are not up to par, so I'm calm, I went to the very best. And what fun it is.

    Now I will study houses and nature more. Many nice photos you have taken. Thanks for that👍

    12 August 2023 - 19:01

    Reply

    • Comment by post author

      Helena says:

      Glad you like our posts from Finland! It has been very interesting travelling around. For us it has also been like that in the past, visiting Helsinki and Turku, but not seeing anything else at all. I have also heard and read about the Finnish school system being very good, and that is very possible. At the same time, it is of course true that there are variations, both here and there, and in all places.

      13 August 2023 - 7:20

      Reply

  3. Monica says:

    Now I have to supplement," the husband showed the photos and asked if he had seen more of the country.

    Well, one of his student friends in Uppsala met a Finnish woman and they were going to have a wedding.

    My husband went to Turku and then a long bus ride to somewhere in the countryside, he doesn't remember the name.

    There the bride's sister appeared and the bride's greatest wish was a duet by my husband and her sister. And they rehearsed quickly, had never seen each other, the song was decided by the bride and it was sung over the neighbourhood with a beautiful baritone voice and a beautiful soprano voice in the big kyrkan☺️.

    Yes, he still sings well. Right now I'm trying to find the song ...

    12 August 2023 - 23:01

    Reply

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