Hanko is a porttown and municipality on the south coast of Finland, 130 kilometres (80 mi) west of Helsinki. Its current population is 8,047 (31 December 2020). The town is bilingual, with a majority being Finnish speakers and a strong minority being Swedish speakers (44%).

Events

The Hangon Regatta is a traditional fixture on the Finnish social scene, and is the town’s main summer event. Sailing enthusiasts attend to compete, but there are also others, mostly young people, with little or no interest in sailing, who attend only in order to party and drink. The latter constitute the so-called “Regatta tail”, which is not appreciated by most of the town’s residents.

Other traditional summer activities are the “Tennis Week”, the “Sea Horse” riding competitions, the “Summer Theatre” and Hanko Music Festival events.

Several sandy beaches and a multitude of leisure harbors attract tourists during the summer months.

Features

The Hanko Peninsula, on which the city is located, is the southernmost tip of continental Finland. The town has a coastline of approximately 130 km (80 mi), of which 30 km (20 mi) are sandy beaches. There are also over 90 small islands and islets within the city limits.

The skyline of Hanko is dominated by the church and the water tower. Both of them received their current appearance after World War II, as their predecessors were either damaged or destroyed by the Soviet Armed Forces.

History

Hanko has a long history of wars and battles. The Battle of Gangut between Swedish and Russian navies was fought in 1714 in the archipelago north of the peninsula. The battle was the first-ever victory of the Russian regular fleet.

The fortification works on the Hanko Peninsula had already been started by the end of the 18th century, when the Swedish constructed three separate forts on the outlying islands. The forts were taken over by Russia in 1809, and were later bombarded by the Royal Navy during the Crimean War and were eventually blown up during the hostilities by their own defenders.

The city was founded in 1874, soon after the Hanko-Hyvinkää railway was inaugurated in 1872. The Imperial Charter for the city was granted by Tsar Alexander II.