Cultural and spiritual values (6.11)
 |
| Important family events such as a birth or death of a person were
marked in old times on the bark of a tree. The marking on the bark
of this tree over is over one hundred years old and indicates the
border of the slash and burn area. |
Forests are the most characteristic feature of the Finnish landscape
and the origin of our culture. Every era and every generation
have left their mark in the forests. Forests are an integral
part of our cultural environment. Forests have also provided
artistic stimuli and themes for the visual arts, music and
literature.
Forests occupied an important place in ancient religions. There
were sacrificial trees in the forest, magical places and sacrificial
groves, where gods were worshipped in ancient times. Ancient
monuments are constantly being discovered in forests, dating
from a time when forest was home, source of food and a place
of worship. Many areas associated with forestry and agriculture,
other livelihoods and also military history are discovered in forests,
areas with ancient structures and mounds of stone.
Nearly all buildings in rural areas are still constructed of timber.
Efforts are made to maintain the tradition of timber construction
also in population centres. Wooden furniture, vessels, tools,
utensils and decorative objects are part of both everyday life
and the valuable handicrafts traditions.
Museums have been founded for the preservation and restoration
of forest and hunting culture. Various kinds of events are
organised for the same purpose, including competitions in traditional
skills in forestry, hunting and log floating. Performances
for displaying traditional logging methods and timber construction
are also arranged.
Forests and trees contribute to the spiritual welfare and health
of Finns in many ways. Studies suggest that merely by looking
at pictures of nature people recover more quickly from stress
and illnesses. The favourite place of Finns is often outdoors in
nature, where they can calm down, relax, enjoy their surroundings
and forget their problems for a while.
Cultural and landscape sites
There are seven sites in Finland that have been inscribed on
the UNESCO World Heritage list. One of them, the Bronze Age
burial site of Sammallahdenmäki in the municipality of Lappi,
is situated in a forest. The environs of the Verla Groundwood
and Board Mill are a magnificent milieu from the early days of
the Finnish forest industry. Old Rauma town and Petäjävesi Old
Church represent old timber construction.
There are 37 National Parks in Finland. One aspect of the maintenance
of the parks is the promotion of the preservation of
cultural heritage and landscape values. The Kuivajärvi-Hietajärvi
area in Suomussalmi is the only landscape conservation area
established under the Nature Conservation Act. It includes large
tracts of forest, which are an integral part of the White Karelian
culture of the area. National urban parks have been established
in Hämeenlinna, Heinola, Pori, Hanko and Porvoo.
The number of natural monuments protected under the Nature
Conservation Act is about 3,500. Most of them are located in
forests; in some cases, the monuments themselves are trees or
groups of trees growing in built-up cultural environments. The
Finnish Dendrological Society has identified over 1,200 large or
otherwise exceptional trees. The many arboretums (over 80 in
Finland) are part of the cultural history of forest research.
 |
| National Landscape Koli with Ukko Koli the highest hill in North Karelia, located on the shore of Lake Pielinen. The landscape has inspired
many Finnish artists and writers belonging to the movement Karelianism such as Jean Sibelius, Juhani Aho, I.K Inha and Eero Järnefelt at
the beginning of 1900. |
Prehistoric monuments are found in cultural environments, but
also far away from current settlement areas, in the middle of
commercial forests. The Register of Ancient Monuments kept by
the National Board of Antiquities is being constantly updated.
There are currently about 18,000 sites listed in the register. Antiquities
are protected under the Antiquities Act, even if they are
not entered in the register.
The term ‘national landscape’ is used to describe the most famous
landscapes in Finland. To commemorate the 75th Independence
Day in 1992, 27 areas from around Finland were designated
national landscapes. Many of the national landscapes
are located either completely or partially in nature conservation
areas.
Finland has 156 landscape areas which were identified as nationally
valuable in a Government Resolution in 1995. Key areas
are vital agricultural landscapes that have remained traditional
in appearance and that are diverse in their nature and cultural
heritage. Most of them are located in agricultural regions in southern and western Finland, but even on these areas the
margin forests along fields and waters and the general landscape
provide an important framework for the site. The Ministry
of the Environment has launched an inventory project for
updating and supplementing the nationally valuable landscape
areas in 2010–2014.
A survey of built cultural heritage completed in 1993 covered
1,477 valuable sites and areas whose value stems from architectural
heritage. The environments of these areas also include
trees and margin forests. The National Board of Antiquities has
launched a project for revising the list of cultural heritage sites,
and it will be completed in the near future.
The national inventory of heritage landscapes (1991–1998) was
conducted in 1992–1998. The inventory identified 3,700 valuable
heritage landscapes, which had developed as a result of
traditional agricultural practices. Wooded heritage landscapes
are wooded pastures, grazed forests, wooded meadows and old
burnt-over woodlands. Such sites are often part of a larger milieu,
which also includes traditional farmhouses or other structures.
Metsähallitus maintains traditional farmsteads where
the buildings, fields and environs are managed with traditional
methods.
The Finnish Road Administration has conducted surveys of historical
roads and roadside landscapes. The most striking roads
have been designated scenic routes, and the woods and cultural
sites along the routes are managed under a special management
plan.
A total of 12 museums have been founded to preserve and make
known traditional silvicultural practices. The largest of these is
the Finnish Forest Museum Lusto founded in 1994 in Punkaharju
as a national museum and science centre. Events presenting
forest culture are organised in Lusto. The Sámi Museum, today
named Siida, was founded in Inari in 1959 to showcase Sámi
culture and Lapland nature.
Links
|
