As an eighties baby, it's hard to imagine that some counties weren't always countries. Finland is one of them. Their history is not a pretty one. First they were part of Sweden for 600 years. Then they were part of Russia for a hundred years. Then, just when they gain their independence, they become entangled in a civil war.
There's a small island off the coast of Helsinki that embodies a lot of that history: Suomenlinna. First the Swedish built up the island waiting for a Russian attack. Then the Russians attacked and the island held. Then the Russians came back later and won. Then the Bolsheviks took over in 1917 and Finland declared independence. All the while Suomenlinna has been raised and razed. The results are quite special.
