Kastelholm talks on peace 2019

"Democracy, participation and the role of civil society"When the Åland Islands Peace Institute organises Kastelholm talks on peace for the fifth time, the theme is "Democracy, participation and the role of civil society". The Kastelholm talks are recurring discussions about peace, under the patronage of the former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen. The talks are always held in connection with Åland's demilitarisation day, which is 30 March. The talks of 2019 will be held on Thursday, 28 March. The moderator will be the Peace Institute's Director, Associate Professor Sia Spiliopoulou

Events in the Åland Islands 2018

Åland offers a wide range of events throughout the year. New for 2018 is Nordic Islands Adventure and Havets röst.7–11 March     Vera Film Festival www.verafilmfestival.ax 15–19 March     Mariehamn Literature Days www.litteraturdagarna.ax 2 May-2 September    Nitti Crafts Exhibition Eckerö Post & Tullhus www.postochtullhuset.ax 25–27 May     Åland Grönskar - Åland Spring Food Festival www.alandgronskar.ax 9 June                Åland autonomy day celebrations 16 June              Mail rowing contest Eckerö-Grisslehamn www.sjofartsmuseet.se/postrodden 17–21 June

Fishing rods and small pirates in Åland

Åland has a lot to offer for families with children. In summertime the town of Mariehamn attracts with beaches, red granite rocks and Mariebad swimming centre with an exciting water slide and a sandy beach. Also Lilla Holmen with tame birds, beach and playgrounds is excellent for families.Åland is also much more than just the sea, beaches, smooth cliffs and 6,700 islands. Fishing is great and children can learn all about fishing on Children’s very own fishing day in Eckerö. Other fun activities around Åland include, for example, Ångbåtsbryggan adventure golf, escape room, cosmic bowling,

The Ålandic Baltic Sea Fund presents interesting laureates this year

The Baltic Sea Fund works for the entire Baltic Sea region by drawing attention to actions for the benefit of our common and sensitive inland sea. The purpose of the foundation is to promote and support research and other activities regarding the protection of the environment of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea Fund awards prizes, scholarships, and subsidies to decisive actions for the benefit of the environment. An important part of the activities is to disseminate information and knowledge about the environment of the Baltic Sea to the 90 million inhabitants of the region.Baltic Sea Fund

Kastelholm talks on peace 2017 Finland as a neighbour - boundaries and boundlessness over the past century

The Kastelholm talks of 2017 will highlight the centenary celebration of Finland, discussing the topic "With Finland as a neighbour - boundaries and boundlessness over the past century". The Kastelholm talks are recurring high-level talks on peace issues, and are this year arranged for the third time.The Kastelholm talks are held in Swedish and consist of two parts. First, there is a panel discussion for some 100 invited guests, in the castle of Kastelholm, where the panel will discuss the topic of the year with a moderator. Secondly, a roundtable discussion is held in the nearby restaurant

Åland Harvest Festival and restaurant Smakbyn qualified for Hungry for Finland’s list of top products in Finland.

Hungry For Finland has now selected 14 top products and 10 other breakthrough products for international marketing. Two of the products are from Åland.Restaurant Smakbyn was selected as one of the 14 restaurants in the category Cool and Creative, and the annual Åland Harvest Festival was chosen as an event in the same category. An expert panel of travel business professionals chose the products with reference to Visit Finland’s international criteria and product criteria for My Stay at visitfinland.com Jenny and Michael Björklund, the restaurateurs at Smakbyn, are very happy about the

Kastelholm talks on peace 2017

Finland as a neighbour - boundaries and boundlessness over the past century  The Kastelholm talks of 2017 will highlight the centenary celebration of Finland, discussing the topic "With Finland as a neighbour - boundaries and boundlessness over the past century". The Kastelholm talks are recurring talks on peace issues, held on the Åland Islands under the patronage of former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, who attends the talks from time to time.The Kastelholm talks will be held on 30 March 2017, the day of Åland’s demilitarisation. In a discussion ranging from the past to the

Events in the Åland Islands 2017

Åland offers a wide range of events throughout the year. New for 2017 is the new opera ”Figaro 19017” at Alandica in Mariehamn.15–19                  March Vera Film Festival 23–26 March      Mariehamn Literature Days 20 May                 Brändöluffen ½ Marathon, Brändö 26–28 May          Åland Spring Food Festival 9 June                  Åland autonomy day celebrations 16–17 June         Fishbait Rock Festival, Stallhagen, Finström 17 June                Mail rowing contest Grisslehamn-Eckerö 18–22 June         Alandia Cup, junior football cup, Mariehamn 23 June

Newly renovated hotel in the centre of Mariehamn

The first stage in the renewal of all hotel rooms in Hotel Park Alandia in central Mariehamn has begun. In the winter of 2017 Park Alandia will renovate 35 existing rooms in the hotel's newest part. At the same time nine new double rooms will be built in the former meeting rooms.In early April, the hotel will open up the 42 newly renovated Premium Rooms. The rooms have a completely new interiors with new furniture, lighting, textiles, flooring and tiles. -The renovation work in one half of the hotel and in the pub is proceeding with full speed. My husband Jesper Blomsterlund and I took

The 2016 Finnish Football Championship winner IFK Mariehamn is qualifying for the Champions League

IFK Mariehamn playing in the Finnish Premier Division (Veikkausliiga) in Finland has won the gold and become Finnish soccer champion 2016. This is the first time IFK Mariehamn achieves the league championship and it is astonishing as Åland has only 29,000 inhabitants. Altogether 4535 spectators, i.e. a third of Mariehamns population, witnessed IFK securing their first league gold. The Club is managed by Peter Lundberg and Kari Virtanen.In an interview the team captain Jani Lyyski invites visitors to come to Mariehamn and see the team’s home games at Wiklöf Holding Arena. What’s more, they

Several Åland restaurants on the White Guide list

Several Åland restaurants received good ratings in the White Guide Nordic in which three Åland restaurants were among the 300 best Nordic restaurants. Restaurant Nautical in Mariehamn is rated as the 7th best in Finland.Michael Björklund is a well-known chef all over the Nordic countries. Since he was young, he has been a familiar face in the Nordic chef world. He has highlighted the Åland food, raw produce and local producers. Michael also holds the titles of Chef of the Year in both Sweden and Finland, and he became the fifth best in Bocuse d'Or. He also works as a Finnish Food Ambassador

News from The Åland Islands, the Finnish Archipelago

Silverskär’s Conference & Hotel Island in Saltvik is extending its services to a nearby island using a modern but traditional-style concept.Its current building project on the island of Östra Klobben includes ten cottages and one ”Saltarbod” cottage with joint facilities for meetings and get-togethers for approximately thirty persons, and a wood-heated sauna by the seashore. The genuine archipelago cottages are simple in style and they are built using traditional materials in an artesan way.   -We want to offer our guests a genuine experience of being close to nature, sea and sky. We

Record number of open farms at Åland Harvest Festival

The Åland Harvest Festival on 18-20 September highlights the autumn in Åland. The charming Festival showcases the bounty of Åland harvest with locally produced delicacies, fresh raw produce and experiences for the eye and taste buds. Here the city dwellers, farmers, islanders and visitors from near and far meet each other in charming rural environs. Also the island of Jurmo that had her harvest festival première last year welcomes visitors this autumn.-This year’s Harvest Festival presents over fifty open farms, restaurants and pop-up activities. The Festival will be double as big as last

The 8th World Robotic Sailing Championship in the Åland Islands

The 8th World Robotic Sailing Championship has come to an end, with a day of perfect weather conditions outside the Maritime Quarter of Mariehamn. The events started with the International Robotic Sailing Conference on August 31. Researchers from all over the world including USA, Japan, China and many parts of Europe presented their work related to sailing robots. The remaining week has been devoted to the sailing championship, where autonomous boats were competing in various challengesTeams from France, Norway, Åland Islands, Switzerland and Wales have taken part in the competitions. At

World Robotic Sailing Championship and International Robotic Sailing Conference 2015 in the Åland Islands

We are pleased to invite you to World Robotic Sailing Championship and International Robotic Sailing Conference 2015. The event will take place from 31 August to 4 September 2015 in Mariehamn, The Åland Islands.The regatta will be the eighth annual edition of WRSC, with the most recent event held in Galway, Ireland. We are truly glad to host this sailing race and conference in the Åland Islands. The WRSC is a competition open to fully autonomous and unmanned sailing boats up to 4m in length. The accompanying IRSC provides an ideal venue to discuss the broad range of scientific problems

Käringsund Triathlon is upgraded

Käringsund Triathlon will be upgraded for the 2015 triathlon held on 28-29 August in Käringsund in Åland. This year’s triathlon is the first Nordic triathlon contest that offers qualifying slots for the prestigious Escape from Alcatraz 2016. Käringsund Triathlon 2015 offers one qualifying slot in each adult age group in the half distance race.-The contestants with the ambition to compete for qualifying slots for Escape from Alcatraz held in California in June 2016 are separated at race registration from those who only wish to race for a position and time at Käringsund Triathlon. Anyone

Playful learning in Eckerö, The Åland Islands

July 2015 witnesses the opening of the new Smart Park. The name comes from the idea that you’ll be a bit smarter after a visit to Smart Park even though you do nothing but play and enjoy your day.-Smart Park is all about learning through play, or experiential education. We have, for example, a water playground that illustrates the battle of Bomarsund, explains project manager Mattias Eriksson. In the traffic park, kids can drive mini trucks to take milk to the dairy and vegetables to a food factory, thus getting an idea of where our food from. Smart Park offers opportunities to build

THE ALL NEW HOTEL POMMERN IN MARIEHAMN OPENS 2.3.2015

The complete rebuilding process of Hotel Pommern that commenced in December 2013 is now in its final stages, and the all new Hotel Pommern is due to open its doors as of 2.3.2015.The hotel has welcomed guests since the late 1960’s in the centre of Mariehamn, Åland, and has now been completely rebuilt and expanded to comprise 95 rooms, a 140-seat restaurant and a cozy Wine Bar and Lounge. The new building is designed by architects Aaro Virkkunen and Harri Kokkonen of Arkkitehtitoimisto AVARC Oy in Helsinki, Finland. All interiors are designed by interior architect Carola Tallqvist. The

Visit Åland launches a new main brochure

The goal of Visit Åland’s new main brochure is to present the wide range of experiences the Åland Islands have to offer and to inspire potential visitors to find out more about our destination. In 2015 we focus on children and active family vacations.“There’s so much to showcase! We’ve decided to highlight the genuine Åland experiences and the hidden gems as well as to create attention towards our island realm. More detailed information about travelling to Åland can be found at visitaland.com” says Visit Åland’s CEO Lotta Berner Sjölund. Visit Åland’s new main brochure will be mainly

Åland attracts international conferences

Åland Convention Bureau (ÅCB) is in its second year of operation and is now launching an interactive website. The website gives a better overall picture of Aland as a conference destination and makes it easier to get in touch with venues and submit an inquiry. On the website you can search conference facilities by entering the number of delegates or the type of seating. The service also includes information about ferry companies operating to Åland so that the conference can be started onboard.-After an intensive work period Åland Convention Bureau now proudly presents online what the

Åland Tourist Information Office upgraded to four stars

The customer service at Åland’s tourist information office has been classified as four star service by Finland’s organization for the travel industry that allows the rating according to its criteria for green information office signs.The criteria for the four-star rated service includes e.g. central location, good opening-hours year round, professional staff, access to offline information and printed brochures, free internet and WiFi, and regular service updates and customer surveys. Åland Tourist Information Office at Storagatan 8 in Mariehamn runs regular reviews of customer

170 year old beer reproduced

One of the world’s oldest preserved beers has been recreated. The beer dating back to the beginning of the 1800’s was salvaged from a shipwreck found in the Åland Islands archipelago for four years ago. After profound scientific analyses the original recipe has been reconstructed and the Åland brewery Stallhagen has launched the unique beer into the market.In the summer of 2010, divers discovered a shipwreck in the Åland archipelago and salvaged more than a hundred champagne bottles and five beer bottles. The Government of the autonomous Åland Islands is the owner of the findings and had

Visit Åland has appointed a new MD

Lotta Berner Sjölund from Helsinki has been appointed Managing Director for Visit Åland. Lotta has earlier worked five years at Ifolor. She is well familiar with Åland as her husband is a native Ålander and the family has a house in the Åland archipelago.Our aim is to strengthen all the characteristics that destination Åland is known for, especially on new marketing areas, but also to create new images on our established market areas such as Finland and Sweden, says Lotta Berner Sjölund. -Our theme for 2014 is outdoor. We will highlight our fantastic nature and outdoor activities, such

Champagne sells for over one hundred thousand at auction

Champagne sold for more than one hundred thousand euros on Friday when a number of bottles of champagne were sold at an exclusive champagne auction in Åland, an autonomous region in Finland. A few of the bottles that were sold were part of some of the world’s oldest bottles of champagne that was salvaged in 2010 from a 19th century shipwreck off the Åland Islands.The sale took place in Mariehamn, Åland, where the Government of Åland and Artcurial, France premier wine auction house, auctioned eight highly anticipated vintage bottles of Veuve Clicquot, Juglar and Heidsieck, along with several