© Photo by Lars-Ove Törnebohm
Mariehamn was founded in 1861 around the village of Övernäs, and was named after Maria Alexandrovna, the Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. The city is located on a peninsula, and has two important harbours, one located on the western shore and one on the eastern shore. The Western Harbour is an important international harbour with daily traffic to Sweden and mainland Finland. Åland (the archipelago and the province of Finland of which town is the capital) and Mariehamn have a reputable heritage in shipping. Åland is part of Finland, but is not part of the EU customs zone and so duty-free goods can be sold aboard. In addition, this is a Swedish-speaking part of country.
