Archipelago National Park (Swedish: Skärgårdshavets nationalpark, Finnish: Saaristomeren kansallispuisto) is a national park in Southwest Finland. It was created in 1983 and covers 500 square kilometers (190 square miles) of land. Most of the land consists of islands smaller than 1 square kilometer (0.39 square miles). The park includes about 2,000 of the 8,400 islets and skerries in the cooperative area. Larger islands are mostly owned by the people who live there. Archipelago National Park is part of the UNESCO biosphere reserves and earned a PAN Parks certificate in 2007.

The park covers most of the Archipelago Sea region east of Åland and south of the main islands of Korpo, Nagu, Pargas, and Kimitoön. It is mainly located in the (former) municipalities of Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär, Iniö, Hitis, and southern Pargas. The Archipelago Sea Biosphere Reserve includes the national park's cooperative area and the remaining islands in the Åboland archipelago, which are only reachable by boat or ferry.

One goal of the national park is to protect the archipelago's cultural landscape, such as areas used for traditional farming, as well as its natural landscape. To achieve this, the cooperative area plays a key role as an important extension of the national park.

History

The group of islands in Southwest Finland has been home to people since the end of the Neolithic period, around 2000 BCE. During the Stone Age and Bronze Age, the area’s natural resources, such as fish, seals, and seabirds, attracted people to live there. The Baltic Sea was saltier back then, which made fishing for fish like Atlantic cod easier. The area also had many grey seals and seabirds, which provided food and materials like eggs, meat, and feathers. The climate was warmer, making it possible to grow crops and raise animals.

Over time, the land in the Archipelago Sea has risen slowly due to post-glacial rebound. Today, the ground still rises by about 3–4.2 mm (0.12–0.17 in) each year. During the Neolithic and Bronze Age, the outermost islands were near today’s main islands of Nagu, Korpo, and Houtskär. The outer islands of the current archipelago were then 20–25 metres (66–82 ft) below sea level. As islands grew, people moved farther out. Evidence from ancient settlements, like the Neolithic site of Bötesberget in Dragsfjärd, shows this change. This site, dated to 6000 BCE, was once on an island in open water but is now 55 metres (180 ft) above sea level.

The area that is now a national park was first inhabited during the Iron Age (500 BCE–800 CE in Northern Europe). Remains of Iron Age homes have been found in the park’s cooperative area, but no Stone Age homes have been discovered there. Two ancient fort islands, possibly from the Iron Age, have also been identified. Sailing in the Baltic Sea began at least during the Bronze Age. The southwestern archipelago was part of cultures in the northern Baltic Sea, which shared ways of living, metal use, and burial practices. People in this area traded goods, made crafts, and sailed. Studies of pollen show that farming along the coast has continued since the Iron Age.

The archipelago has many relics from the end of the Iron Age until the 18th and 19th centuries, protected by the Antiquities Act. One important type of relic is burial mounds, called cairns. About 40 cairns have been found in the park’s cooperative area. These are small, low piles of stones, most likely from the Iron Age. Some cairns are a few metres wide, while others are tens of metres long and a couple of metres high. The Finnish name for these mounds means "Devil’s sauna stove."

During the Bronze Age, people buried the dead in barrows, sometimes with jewelry or weapons. Later, cremation became common. Many barrows were built on larger islands that have since grown due to land rising. Burial sites were often placed in visible spots, like on rocky hills with sea views or near the highest points on islands. Some graves are near the shore, and others are grouped together.

Most graves found in the park’s cooperative area are on large islands like Nötö and Hitis. During the Iron Age, these areas had many nearby islands and were close to fishing and seal hunting grounds. These conditions likely made the area suitable for living.

In the late 13th century, Swedish settlers from Svealand, southern Norrland, and Götaland moved to the region, increasing the population. By the Middle Ages, about half the villages in the park’s cooperative area were inhabited. The population grew until the mid-16th century but then declined quickly due to limited natural resources. More decline happened in the early 18th century because of the Great Northern War and the bubonic plague.

In the mid-19th century, new fishing tools like hooks and drift nets allowed people to live outside traditional villages, leading to population growth. In the early 20th century, people left the archipelago for jobs on the mainland, and unused land was reforested. Starting in the 1970s, the population grew again as the area became a popular summer vacation spot.

Fauna

The animals living in the Archipelago National Park are well studied because of research and ongoing monitoring. Twenty-five types of mammals have been found in the park. The most common mammals include the common shrew, pygmy shrew, mountain hare, bank vole, red fox, raccoon dog, mink, and moose. The number of grey seals has increased in recent years, while the number of ringed seals has decreased.

The most common fish species in the park include Baltic herring, European perch, northern pike, common roach, bream, viviparous eelpout, European flounder, and fourhorn sculpin.

More than 130 bird species are known to nest in the national park.

After mink were removed from the Archipelago National Park in the 1990s, many bird species had more individuals and better nesting success. Of the 22 bird species studied, 14 had increased numbers. Some species, such as the tufted duck, velvet scoter, and Arctic tern, increased greatly. In 2006, mink removal began in the Vänö archipelago in southern Dragsfjärd. Again, the results showed that nesting success for some species improved quickly and significantly.

Visiting the park

Transportation in the Archipelago National Park is mostly done by boat. Shuttle ships connect all inhabited islands in the area managed by the park. The islands of Holma, Jurmo, and Berghamn can be reached by shuttle ships and have services provided by the national park. The shuttle ship harbors at Prostvik and Pärnäs in Nagu, and at Kasnäs in Kimitoön, are connected by road and have bus services. The Blue Mussel visitor center in Kasnäs, Kimitoön, and the Archipelago Centre in Korpoström, Korpo, provide information about the Archipelago Sea and the national park. Both locations can be reached by car and have bus connections.

Visitors can travel freely by boat within the national park, except in protected areas. Camping is only allowed in specific areas (on private land, following the right to access land for certain activities). Campfires are only allowed in designated areas, unless a forest fire warning is active (then campfires are not allowed). Picking berries and mushrooms is permitted. Visitors should avoid disturbing nesting birds when landing on small islands; islands with many nesting birds should only be visited in autumn and winter. Some islands have nature trails. There is an underwater trail for divers on Stora Hästö in Korpo, and a shallower trail for snorkelers.

Literature

• Miettinen, Mika 1996: Breeding birds in the southern part of the Archipelago Sea National Park and the southern Bothnian Sea in 1993. – Metsähallitus, Vantaa. ISBN 951-53-0865-8 (Written in Finnish with an English summary)
• Miettinen, Mika; Stjernberg, Torsten & Högmander, Jouko 1997: Breeding bird species in the Southwestern Archipelago National Park and its cooperative area during the 1970s and 1990s. – Metsähallitus, Vantaa. ISBN 951-53-1236-1 (Written in Finnish with an English summary)