Sammallahdenmaki

UNESCO World Heritage Site (1999): A Bronze Age Burial Site Of More Than Thirty Granite Cairns On A Rocky Ridge · Rauma, Satakunta

Sammallahdenmaki is a Bronze Age burial site on a low granite ridge in the Lappi district of Rauma, in western Finland. More than thirty cairns of piled granite stones, raised roughly 3,500 to 2,500 years ago when the ridge stood near the shoreline of the Gulf of Bothnia, lie along the bare rock in the pine forest. The land has since risen, so the sea is now well away. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 as one of the best preserved and most varied groups of Bronze Age cairns in Scandinavia, including rare forms such as the large rectangular setting known as the Church Floor (Kirkonlaattia) and the Long Cairn of Huilu. People come to walk the marked trail, to see a UNESCO site with no crowds at all, and to combine it with Old Rauma, the town's other World Heritage Site. The honest caveat: it is a quiet, specialist visit. There are no staffed facilities, no cafe and no ticket office, and to a casual eye the cairns are piles of stones in a forest; it rewards people who read the signs and take their time.

Sammallahdenmaki, Lappi, Rauma, Rauma, Satakunta, Finland

The site is open-air, free and accessible at any time of year, with no opening hours or tickets. It is best visited from roughly May to October; in winter the trail is usually snowy and icy and is not maintained, so go with care or not at all. There are no staffed facilities on site. It lies near Lappi village, about 20-25 km east of Rauma centre, roughly 25 minutes by car; public transport is very limited, so a car or bike is realistic. Guided visits can sometimes be arranged through Rauma tourism in summer - ask in advance.

Sammallahdenmaki on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos