Published in: Helsingin Sanomat, 25th of June, 2003

- THE HORROR OF GUSTAVUS

- FORT AT THE BLACK ISLAND

- BUILDING THE FORT OF SVARTHOLMA, DECREASED THE ROYAL COFFERS AROUND EUROPE

- When the royal Swedish ship arrived in front of the Fort of Svartholma, it is told that the King Gustavus III yelled: "What? You're not building it from gold coins?" The remark, made behind face powder and perfume cloud is understandable. The gold that was poured into this remote fort, had decreased the coffers in Swedish kingdom. Additionally, also France had financed the fort generously and continued to do so until 1764. At that time, the foreign policy changed it's course for awhile in Sweden-Finland and started to drift into a friendly relationship with the Imperial Russia. 

- Against the huge amount of gold, Sweden got a fort that was designed excellently. The defense system that was built from granite and from bricks, offered a real challenge for the attacker that would come from the sea. This probably was a delightful news for Gustavus, who had some very warlike ideas. On the other hand, the barren formality of the fort, probably bored the members from the court, that had gotten used to a bit more glamorous places. Although the officers in Svartholma did powder their faces properly, the enlisted men used potato flour to get their hairy faces a bit paler. 

- After over 250 years, the horror of Gustavus still rests at it's place. When the boat arrives from the continent, a small piece of history from a small border region opens in front of me. Svartholma was the most distant rook in the royal Swedish chessboard. It established the eastern border of Sweden-Finland, that was already in the west bank of the Kyminjoki, due to the peace of Turku, in 1743.

- The outpost, with it's granite walls, was started to build in 1747. It was located only within ten kilometers from the eastern border, that was unprotected. Svartholma was part of the fortification plan, that was designed to protect the vital King's Road, from the possible attack from Imperial Russia. Later, the two-headed eagle would rule the whole grand principality of Finland, but today, the airspace of Svartholma is ruled by the shallows. The holes in the now disintegrate walls and the ceiling structures in the museum, are swarming, when these aerial masters, ground a way for the new generations. I wonder were they also here, when Gustavus ruled? At least the vegetation in this fort island tells a story from the past. The officers who had fought in some remote corner of Europe, brought back many different plants, that still live on this island. Augustin Ehrensvärd who designed the fort, was also a very enthusiastic plant researcher. It's a well known fact, that he used to write with the famous botanist Carl Linnè. The lilac that grows near the sea side defense wall, is believed to be planted by Ehrensvärd himself. The chilly sea wind is probably the reason, why the lilac doesn't show it's flowers even mid June.

- Even when Ehrensvärd was a great friend of nature and an esthetician, to the job of killing, he reacted with an utmost scientific devotion. To ensure, that the enemy would be destroyed before entering the fort, he used the latest achievements in the field of constructing fortifications. The earthworks were designed so, that there were no dead angles. This would have meant, that who ever would have landed to the island, would have had some great difficulties in the crossfire sections, that were created in small pockets, surrounded by bastions and walls. It's first combat situation Svartholma saw in the Finnish war, during the years 1808 - 1809. The Swedish King Gustavus IV Adolf, rejected  the demand from France and Russia, about united alliance against England. The Russian Tsar Alexander I was very upset about this and sent his troops across the border, 21st of February. The Russian troops marched straight to Loviisa. When the Russian troops entered into the city from the eastern gate, the Swedish troops were running away from the western gate. The defense idea of Svartholma was based on the idea, that the enemy will approach from the sea and this will be noticed well in advance. When the enemy however appeared to the ice field on the continent side, the commander of the fort, Carl Magnus Gripenberg was really confused and hopeless. At that time, there was around 700 men in the fort, but there wasn't enough food inside the fort. The general health situation in the garrison wasn't too good either and around 200 men were lying in the hospital, after they had drank seawater, because of the lack of spirits. The non-existent defense motivation was lowering even more, due to a technical problems. The idea of moving the guns facing inland, was stopped when the gun carriages got broken down, due to a extensive rotting. Few shots were fired from the fort, but even those landed too soon to cause any harm to the Russian troops. To top of this all, the commander Gripenberg believed the stories told by an enemy commander Friendrich Wilhelm von Buxhovden, about the total surrender of Finland. The result was that Fort of Svartholma lowered their guns to the ice after only two weeks of siege. During the time of Imperial Russia, Svartholma was a prison island all the way to the year 1847. 

- During the Crimean War, the fleet that had sailed in front of Loviisa in 1855, completed the devastation. To the now already abandoned fort was carried tons of gunpowder and the inner circle of the fort was blown to pieces. This explosion meant a birth to a new things. The great church that guards the entrance to Loviisa, was build from the rubble of Svartholma. 

- The destiny of this granite island, was mixed in the international game, where sides were switched when ever it served the best interests of the country. The change of political climate in France, has affected to the destiny of Svartholma even to the present day. During the Crimean War, along with the British, there were also French carrying the gunpowder into the fort. First the French financed the construction of the fort, then they came and blew the whole thing to pieces and now in the nineties, the French are again financing the renovating plan of Svartholma.

INFORMATION CORNER

- The town of Loviisa was established in 1745, as a border and fortification town.

- The town was called originally as a Degerby, according to the famous horse stables, but the name was changed to Loviisa in 1752, according to the Swedish Queen Lovisa Ulrika.

- The buildings that surround the central market square, are designed by the architect Georg Chiewitz in the mid 19th century.

- The oldest wooden building in the town dates from the 17th century. The church of Loviisa was build around 1860 and presents the gothic revival style.