Kittholma

Vanhahaminantie Pietarsaari

At the dawn of the 1700s, the harbour was moved from the town to an area north of it, Kittholma, which was regarded as one of the best harbour locations on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. The harbour remained in this area for almost 200 years, until it had to be moved even further north, to Alholma, because of land uplift and larger ships.

In the Kittholma area, you can familiarise yourself with the history of the harbour, including boat- and shipbuilding, tar storehouses, “tar floors” and former loading docks. Near the customs wharf from 1827, there is a fenced amusement park site, established by the fire brigade (FBK) in 1890. At the former customs wharf, there also used to be a fish port, from which fresh catches were delivered to the market for sale.

In the Vega hall, you can see the schooner Vega. Initially built in 1952 as part of Finland’s war indemnities to the Soviet Union, it is currently being restored and repaired. At the pier next to it floats the two-masted Jacobstads Wapen (Pietarsaaren Waakuna), a replica of an 18th-century galleass designed by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman. A ‘ship courtyard’, Laivapiha (Skeppsgården), is being planned for the Kittholma area; the harbour’s diverse history would be on display there in a more detailed, aesthetic and entertaining way (see www.vanha-satama.fi). Here you can also find Finland’s oldest, still operating boatyard, Jakobstads Båtvarv, established by mill owner Birger Serlachius in 1904.