Hanko, Finland

Geography

The Hanko Peninsula, on which the city is located, is the southernmost tip of continental Finland. The soil is a sandy moraine, and vegetation consists mainly of pine and low shrubs, mostly Calluna. Hanko is known for its beautiful archipelago.

The town has a coastline of approximately 130 km, of which 30 km are sandy beaches. There are also over 90 small islands and islets within the city limits.

Climate

Hanko has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), which is significantly milder in terms of temperatures than the average of the same latitude. Compared to, for example, Helsinki, Hanko's climate is more oceanic on average, which means milder in winter and cooler in summer. The moderating influence of Baltic Sea cyclones results in warm and moderately humid summers and long, moderately cold wet winters. The period with the most precipitation is in autumn and early winter. The driest months are April and May. Duration of sunshine varies greatly throughout the year, being high in summer due to both long days and relatively clear weather, and low in late autumn and early winter due to both short days and high number of cloudy days. Thunderstorms occur most in the summer months.

|Jan record high C = 8.0 |Feb record high C = 9.1 |Mar record high C = 14.4 |Apr record high C = 19.7 |May record high C = 25.6 |Jun record high C = 30.9 |Jul record high C = 31.1 |Aug record high C = 30.3 |Sep record high C = 23.6 |Oct record high C = 17.6 |Nov record high C = 14.4 |Dec record high C = 9.5 |year record high C = |Jan avg record high C = 4.6 |Feb avg record high C = 4.3 |Mar avg record high C = 7.5 |Apr avg record high C = 14.3 |May avg record high C = 21.0 |Jun avg record high C = 23.8 |Jul avg record high C = 26.2 |Aug avg record high C = 24.6 |Sep avg record high C = 19.6 |Oct avg record high C = 14.1 |Nov avg record high C = 9.4 |Dec avg record high C = 6.2 |year avg record high C = 27.1 | Jan avg record low C = -15.3 | Feb avg record low C = -15.4 | Mar avg record low C = -11.8 | Apr avg record low C = -4.0 | May avg record low C = 0.4 | Jun avg record low C = 5.9 | Jul avg record low C = 10.0 | Aug avg record low C = 9.2 | Sep avg record low C = 4.1 | Oct avg record low C = -2.0 | Nov avg record low C = -5.6 | Dec avg record low C = -10.5 | year avg record low C = -18.5 |Jan record low C = −33.9 |Feb record low C = −35.2 |Mar record low C = −22.8 |Apr record low C = −16.0 |May record low C = −3.4 |Jun record low C = 2.5 |Jul record low C = 4.6 |Aug record low C = 4.5 |Sep record low C = −2.4 |Oct record low C = −9.2 |Nov record low C = −14.9 |Dec record low C = −31.3 |year record low C = | access-date = 5 February 2024}}}}

|Jan record high C = 7.6 |Feb record high C = 8.4 |Mar record high C = 11.4 |Apr record high C = 18.1 |May record high C = 24.6 |Jun record high C = 27.9 |Jul record high C = 28.9 |Aug record high C = 27.6 |Sep record high C = 22.5 |Oct record high C = 16.5 |Nov record high C = 12.9 |Dec record high C = 8.9 |year record high C = 28.9 |Jan record low C = -25.4 |Feb record low C = -22.7 |Mar record low C = -17.2 |Apr record low C = -8.9 |May record low C = -1.4 |Jun record low C = 4.8 |Jul record low C = 9.9 |Aug record low C = 7.9 |Sep record low C = 2.8 |Oct record low C = -5.0 |Nov record low C = -13.1 |Dec record low C = -22.3 |year record low C = -25.4 | access-date = 6 July 2025}}

History

The site was already known by sailors in the 15th century. Petroglyphs from that time are carved into the rock at the Hauensuoli (, ) island.

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 Emperor Alexander II.

The Hanko area is suitable for quarrying granite, and in 1886 Ab Granit Oy (The Granite Company, Ltd.) began to do just that. Hanko granite was exported worldwide, and was used in construction of the Ateneum, the Helsinki Central Station, and other iconic Helsinki buildings, as well as buildings in St. Petersburg and elsewhere.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Hanko was the port of choice for emigrants leaving Finland for a new life in North America. A memorial statue, showing birds in flight, commemorates this.

In the late 19th century, while Finland was still a Grand Duchy under Russia, Hanko was a popular spa resort for the Russian nobility. Some of the buildings from that period survive, notably the Hanko Casino (which is not a gambling establishment, but a former banquet hall of the spa). It is currently a restaurant. The Hotel Continental (1901) (now the Hotel Regatta) was designed by architect Lars Sonck in the notable Jugendstil style of the time; after falling into disrepair, the hotel was restored to its former glory in 2013.

Field Marshal C. G. Mannerheim owned a café, De fyra vindarnas hus (, ), which is still popular among tourists and residents alike.

The Bengtskär lighthouse, situated 25 km southwest of Hanko, is the tallest (52 m) in the Nordic countries. It was built in 1906 and was the first lighthouse museum in Finland.

Soviet naval base

In the Moscow Peace Treaty that ended the Winter War on 13 March 1940, Hanko was leased to the Soviet Union as a naval base for a period of 30 years. During the Continuation War, Soviet troops were forced to evacuate Hanko in early December 1941. The Soviet Union renounced the lease formally in the Paris peace treaty of 1947. As a curiosity, it can be noted that the short Russo-Finnish front across the base of the peninsula on the Finnish side was held in part by volunteer troops from Sweden. A museum has been established at this location, among the trenches and other remnants of the war.

The role of the Hanko naval base was replaced by Porkkala in the armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union of 19 September 1944. Porkkala was returned to Finland in January 1956.

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. It is precisely because of these factors that Hanko has also been called the "Riviera of Finland".

Politics

Results of the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election in Hanko:

• Social Democratic Party 28.5%
• Swedish People's Party 27.6%
• Finns Party 16.6%
• National Coalition Party 10.8%
• Left Alliance 4.1%
• Green League 3.4%
• Movement Now 2.8%
• Christian Democrats 2.8%
• Centre Party 1.5%

Sports

Hangö IK sports club was founded in 1903. It is best known for its football team which has played one season in the Finnish premier division Mestaruussarja, in 1962, and a number of seasons in the second tier Ykkönen. Their home ground is located at the Rukki Arena. The club also has activities in handball, athletics, table tennis and powerlifting.

Notable people

• Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985), designer and sculptor, was born in Hanko

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Hanko is twinned with:

• DEN Gentofte
• EST Haapsalu
• SWE Halmstad
• NOR Stord

References

References

1. "Port of Hanko Ltd". Port of Hanko.
2. "FMI normals 1991-2020". fmi.fi.
3. "FMI normals 1991-2020". fmi.fi.
4. {{cite EB1911
5. fOlavi Selonen, Paavo Härmä, Andrey Bulakh, Carl Ehlers and Heikki Pirinen. "Hanko Granite". The Finnish Natural Stone Association.
6. G. Kock. "Aktiebolaget Granit Osakeyhtiö (Aktiebolaget Granit Limited Liability Company)". YRITYS- JA PÖRSSIHISTORIAA (Company and Stock History).
7. "Hangon Musiikkijuhlat".
8. Värri, Taina. (4 August 2018). "Viileän tyylikäs Hanko pitkine hiekkarantoineen on Suomen Riviera". [[Etelä-Suomen Sanomat]].
9. Värri, Taina. (5 August 2018). "Tämä ei ole Solsidan vaan Suomen Riviera, Hanko – kaupunki, jossa matkailija osoitetaan aina rannan suuntaan". [[Keskisuomalainen]].
10. Salonen, Heljä. (29 June 2021). "Suomen Bretagne, Nizza ja Riviera! 12 loistavaa syytä käydä Hangossa". [[Iltalehti]].
11. "2023 Finnish Parliamentary election results in Hanko".
12. Enlund, Lina. "Hangö IK firar sina 120 år, men festen kom av sig – "Det säger nog litet om dagens läge"".
13. "Seura Föreningen".
14. "Hangethe Sportcenter".