The Kumlinge island group lies in the middle of the Åland archipelago and comprises 800 islands. This number gives a sense of the scale of the island group. In the Åland Archipelago, discoveries range from ancient objects and maritime history to geological formations and encounters with seals.
Kumlinge: Collections and Maritime History
The Kumlinge Cultural Centre has an exhibition featuring around a hundred old objects. Hotel Glada Laxen is housed in a former coastal watch station, whose 40-metre-high observation tower is still standing. The station’s former purpose and its surviving tower give the building a tangible connection to the maritime past.
Churches, Harbours and Island Stories
Built of wood, Brändö Church was constructed in 1893 and dedicated to the Apostle James. The church contains a 15th-century altarpiece, bringing together the building’s construction date and a work of art from considerably earlier. In Degerby, you can take a walking tour of the village using a historical map, available from the tourist information office or the municipal office. Degerby’s Pilot Museum features an exhibition about the period when the village was one of Åland’s most important harbours.
On Kökar, historical traces reach back to different eras. During the Bronze Age, seal hunters established camps there. In the Middle Ages, a Franciscan monastery stood by the harbour. On Simskäla, after Anni Blomqvist’s death, the Åland Cultural Foundation took over her house in accordance with her will. As she wished, the foundation maintains it as a writers’ residence and museum. These places offer different ways to explore the islands’ history: through early human traces, a harbour site or a writer’s home.
Geology and Experiences on the Water
Along the hiking trail on Seglinge are rock formations known as giant’s kettles, thought to have formed during the Ice Age. In Brändö, Ängskärs fjärden is considered an intrusion crater: magma from the Earth’s interior displaced the rock and then sank back down. The crater is estimated to be around one billion years old. These two geological features represent different scales, from formations along a hiking trail to the formation of a crater.
The water also offers a different perspective on the archipelago. On an approximately four-hour seal safari with guide Kaj Lundberg, the tour heads to the rocks of the outer archipelago. There, seals lie on the rocks, dive or look up with their heads above the water. The approximate duration offers a useful guide for planning your day. Kayaking is another activity in Brändö.
Ferry Connections and Åland in a Broader Context
On Föglö, the M/S Skarven ferry runs from Svinö to Degerby many times a day. Check the current timetable before travelling. Ferries also run from Långnäs to Överö and onwards to the rest of the archipelago; check the latest routes and timetables for this connection too. In the wider Åland travel region, the Ålandstrafiken ferries connect mainland Åland with Åland’s six archipelago municipalities and the Finnish region of Åboland.
Åland’s wider cultural context is also shaped by the sea. Nordic traditions of clinker-built boat construction are recognised as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage and are considered deeply rooted in Åland. In Mariehamn, the Maritime Quarter has a boat harbour as well as facilities for rope-making, blacksmithing, carpentry and rigging. This allows you to broaden your view from the stories of individual island communities to Åland’s wider boatbuilding culture.
Discover more destinations: Brändö, Brändö, Kumlinge, Föglö, Kumlinge, Föglö, Mariehamn, Åland countryside.
Back to the main travel overview: Åland.
