See and experience

Sammallahdenmäki is a Bronze Age burial site that was included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1999. It was the first archaeological site in Finland to make the list.

This unique area reflects the religious beliefs and burial practices of a community in Western Finland in the Scandinavian Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1500–500 BCE). Spanning less than a kilometre, the area features 36 burial cairns of different shapes and sizes.

The largest and most famous cairn in the area is called Kirkonlaattia, Church Floor. According to a folk tale, it is the floor of a church built by goblins that was never finished. The cairn is quadrangular, with an even surface.

Pay also attention to the beautiful Finnish nature and forest around Sammallahdenmäki.

Heathers in Sammallahdenmäki

Seasons colour the scenery, setting the mood

Spring

Nature wakes up in the spring in Sammallahdenmäki. Trees burst into leaf, wild rosemary scents the air and violets and forget-me-nots reach for the sun. Sounds of migrating birds carry from the old bay, Lake Saarnijärvi. A cuckoo is calling, swans and cranes are trumpeting, and little birds are chirping.

Summer

The pine forest scenery fills with shades of green and grey. It is peaceful here, despite the busy summer season. On sunny days, you can feel the heat on the rocks. When stopping for a drink, you can just marvel at how much time and effort was spent on building the cairns.

Autumn

Cowberries in Sammallahdenmäki

In the autumn, the rocks and cairns in Sammallahdenmäki are coloured by moss, lichen and heather. When leaves fall from the trees, the scenery turns transparent. From Kirkonlaattia, Church Floor, you can see far into the ancient sea, listening to ravens and the humming of the wind – wondering how ancient wanderers prepared for the winter.