Sund
Sund is a municipality in mainland Åland. Here you can find two of the archipelago's main sights, Kastelholm castle and the ruined fortification of Bomarsund.
Understand
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Get in
[edit source]Sund is some 20 km north-east from Mariehamn. Highway 2 connecting Mariehamn and Vårdö passes through Sund. From the Finnish mainland there is a connection via Brändö and Vårdö, in addition to the main one via Mariehamn.
You can get in by boat, car, bike or bus.
Get around
[edit source]The most convenient way of getting around is by bike or car. Buses serve part of the municipality, with sparse schedules. A boat or kayak gives you access to the main sights and services, and additionally lets you experience the shores and islands.
See
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- 1 Kastelholm Castle (Kastelholms slott). May-Jun and Aug-Sep daily 10:00–17:00; Jul daily 10:00–18:00. A medieval castle located in the mid-part of the mainland is worth paying a visit. Partly a ruin today, it was founded in the 1380s. There are guided tours, also in English. An audio tour available for Android devices. There are lots of staircases in the castle so the tour is not suitable for disabled. The normal entrance ticket include also entrance to the Vita Björn prison museum but Museum Card visitors must pay Vita Björn separately. €8/adult, €5/student, €20/family(2+2), Finnish Museum Card valid for the Castle.
- 2 Jan Karlsgården Open Air Museum (by Kastelholm). May–Sep: daily 10:00–17:00. The museum consist of a number of traditional buildings moved here from other parts of Åland to form a late-1800s agricultural farm. The main building is from Jan Karls homestead, hence the name. The area is open year round, but access into the buildings only in summer season. Kastelholm area tourist information centre and a good restaurant-cafeteria next door. Free.
- 3 Prison museum Vita Björn. May–Sep: daily 10:00–17:00. The Vita Björn served as Åland's prison for 200 years until 1975. There are four cells giving a glimpse on how prisoners' treatment changed from the 1700s to 1950s. The house include also the residence for the warden and his family and some prison related items like chains and a whipping pole are visible. Guide leaflets in separate languages. The entrance fee is usually included to the Kastelholm Castle ticket but Museum Card visitors must pay it separately. Entrance fee in cash only. €2/1; cash only.
- 4 Bomarsund Fortress (Bomarsund fästningsruin). The huge fortress (over 300 m in diameter) was built by the Russians in 1830–1854, but it was never completed, as the establishment was thoroughly ruined during the Crimean War by the allied English-Frenchmen. On the other side of the strait, next to the bridge to Prästö, there is a small museum where pictures and objects from Bomarsund are on display. Free.
Do
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[edit source]Drink
[edit source]- 1 Åland Distillery, Slottsvägen 133 (by Kastelholm Castle), ☏ +358 184 3730, [email protected]. 10:00–17:00. Has three own home-distillers. They make spirits and gin from the fruits at the vineyard. The apple vodka is called Ålvados, which is a kind of Calvados. They also make wine (Västergårds Äppelvin) with apples that have ripened on the farm's own trees. You can visit the vineyard, walk around among the fruit trees and see how the wine is produced. The guided tour ends in the old threshing house and here you can sample the drinks directly from the wine cellar.
Sleep
[edit source]- 1 Puttes Camping (Bomarsund village), ☏ +358 45-7313-4177, [email protected]. Campsite with cabins.