Edition 2-2010 - Posten Åland

�ariehamn 150 years
2011 marks 150 years since the foundation of �ariehamn.
�rom its initial 33 inhabitants, �ariehamn is today an
expanding town in which history meets present.
Plans for founding a town in Åland had long existed
and a variety of locations had been discussed. The
fi rst township-like settlement developed in connection
with the construction of the fortress of
Bomarsund. The tiny dwelling-site of Skarpans was
abandoned after the fall of Bomarsund in 1854.
NAMED AFTER THE EMPRESS
In 1859, Tsar Alexander II of Russia recommended
that a town be established in Åland close to the
Svibyviken bay. Two years later, he issued a charter
of foundation and the town was named after
Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
MARIA LIVED TO BE 56 YEARS OLD
Maria Alexandrovna was born in 1824 in Darmstadt,
Germany, and Empress consort of Tsar Alexander II
of Russia from 1855 until her death in 1880. Maria
had very poor health and spent a great amount of
time in various health spas abroad during her 25
years as Empress. She died from tuberculosis in
1880, 56 years old. The Mariinskij -theatre in
St. Petersburg has also been named after her.
ÅLANDSPOSTEN FRIMÄRKEN 19
GRID-BASED STREET NETWORK
Mariehamn was founded around the village of
Övernäs in the parish of Jomala. At the time, the
village consisted of four farms and two crofter’s
holdings, located close to where we today fi nd the
Mariehamn town hall building. County architect
Georg Theodor von Chiewitz prepared a four-part
townplan with grid-based street network. With a few
exceptions, all buildings were meant to be multistorey
stone buildings; however, the fi rst settlers were
so poor that they were eventually exempted and
allowed to build wooden houses instead.
ONE FARM REMAINS
In 1861, the village, which had become the town
of Mariehamn, housed 33 inhabitants.Most of the
original wooden houses in Övernäs were demolished
over time; Övernässtugan is the only original
house still remaining.
Read more on page 34.
Sources: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Alexandrovna,
www.mariehamn.ax and http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Georg_Theodor_von_Chiewitz and http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.