24 - Rauma
ABOUT THE CITY With 40,000 inhabitants, Rauma is one of the most unique and pleasant cities in Finland. This former harbour and lace-making town with its old wooden quarter is one of the best preserved in the country. It is one of the best preserved in the country and is the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries. Miraculously untouched by fires, almost 600 wooden houses display their delightful pastel-coloured facades in a maze of paved lanes covering almost 30 hectares. In 1991, this site was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in 1442 on the outskirts of an ancient port, Rauma developed around a 15th century Franciscan monastery. Thanks to the export of wood, the town chartered its own sailing ships for a long time. In 1550, however, its inhabitants were forced to move to Helsinki to populate the new city that the Swedish king, Gustav I Vasa, decided to found. This forced exodus weakened the municipality. The origin of the lacemaking activity remains uncertain. T