Porvoo

Porvoo, known in Swedish as Borgå, stands on a river flowing into the Gulf of Finland. The river served inland Tavastians as a route of trade, and German merchants gave the early trading place of Saksala its name. Mentioned as a town in the fourteenth century, Porvoo became one of the medieval towns of Finland under Swedish rule.

After Sweden lost Vyborg to Russia, its episcopal see moved to Porvoo in 1723. A fire destroyed much of the town in 1760, but rebuilding followed the old medieval street plan. In 1809, after Russian armies conquered Finland, the Diet of Porvoo gathered under Emperor Alexander I, marking the beginning of Finland’s life as an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire.