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Built by the Swedes in 1748 to protect Helsinki from seaborne attack, the fortress of Suomenlinna stands on five interconnected islands and is the biggest sea fortress in the world. Reachable by ferry every thirty minutes from the South Harbour, it makes a rewarding break from the city. You can visit independently, or take one of the hour-long summer guided walking tours , beginning close to the ferry stage and conducted in English (June-Aug daily 10.30am, 1pm & 3pm; ?3.40). Suomenlinna has a few museums, though none is particularly riveting. The Suomenlinna Museum (March, April & Oct Sat & Sun 11am-5pm, May-Sept 10am-5pm; ?5) contains a permanent exhibition on the island as well as a multi-vision show that is played in several languages. The Ehrensvard Museum (summer daily 10am-5pm; Sept daily 10am-4.30pm; Oct-April Sat & Sun 11am-4.30pm; ?1.70) is the residence used by the first commander of the fortress, Augustin Ehrensvard, who oversaw the building of Suomenlinna and now lies in an elaborate tomb in the grounds; his personal effects remain inside the house alongside displays on the fort's construction. Finally, the Coastal Artillery Museum (May-Aug daily 10am-4.45pm; Sept daily 11am-3pm, April and Oct Sat & Sun 11am-3pm; ?3.40) records Suomenlinna's defensive actions and, for another ?2, lets visitors clamber around the claustrophobic World War II submarine Vesikko . There are more museums close by the small wooded island of Seurasaari , a fifteen-minute tram (#4) or bus (#24) ride from the city centre. The tram stops a few hundred metres north, at the junction of Tamminiementie and Meilahdentie, conveniently close to the Helsinki City Art Museum (Wed-Sun 11am-6.30pm; ?2.50-7.60) which hosts temporary exhibits of a broad range of art from fifteenth Century Japanese through to contemporary Finnish works. A few minutes' walk away, towards the Seurasaari bridge, is the long driveway leading to the Urho Kekkonen Museum (mid-May to mid-Aug daily 11am-5pm; rest of year closed Mon; ?3.40), the villa where the former president lived from 1956 until his death in 1986, and the former official home of all Finnish presidents. Kekkonen played a vital role in the establishment of Finnish neutrality after World War II, gaining the favour of Soviet leaders, legend has it, by taking them to a sauna. Close by, on Seurasaari itself, is the Seurasaari Open Air Museum (June-Aug daily 11am-5pm, Wed until 7pm; Sept-May Mon-Fri 9am-3pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm; ?3.40), a collection of vernacular buildings from all over Finland.
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