Viking trade route from Gulf of Bothnia to Hämeenlinna: approx. 250 km long
The Vikings’ western trade route from the Baltic Sea through the Gulf of Bothnia to Hämeenlinna starts in front of Pori, at the Kokemäenjoki estuary. Today, there are four power plants at the beginning of the route. The more than 100 m wide river bed has been easy to row and to sail in 8-10 meter long Viking boats. At Sastamala, the route turns into a series of narrow lakes, before Hämeenlinna. In the Middle Ages, Tursiannotko and Vanainkylä (Hämeenlinna) were Viking trading posts in Finland. Finds of swords, graves and objects along the route and in the area of the small villages of Pirkanmaa and Tavastia show that the Vikings also went to the upper waters of the tributaries.
