Favourable living environment already in the Stone Age
The coast and the archipelago in Southwest Finland have
been populated since late Stone Age (about 2000-1300 BC). After the Ice Age the
warming climate and the abundance of natural resources around the shores
attracted the Stone Age and Bronze Age men to settle down by the sea. In the
Baltic Sea, where the salinity was higher than nowadays, lived atlantic cod
(Gadus morhua
) and plenty of other sea fish.
Hundreds of thousands seals lived on the islets and protruding rocks. The
abundance of birds provided a source of meat, eggs and down. Because of the
warmer climate, the conditions for small-scale agriculture and cattle herding
were even better than nowadays.
Trade, handcraft and navigation were practiced already in the early times in addition
to the basic sources of livelihood. Sailing began in the
whole of the Baltic Sea region latest in the Bronze Age. The sea connected people.
The southwestern archipelago became a part of the northern Baltic Sea region cultures,
which had common means of livelihood, use of metals, and burial
customs.
The present National Park area became inhabited in the Iron Age (500-1150
BC). Many ancient remains of the Iron Age settlements have been found in the
National Parks co-operation area. Pollen analysis has shown that the agriculture
in the coast has been continuous since the Iron Age until these days.
The Swedish settlement moved to the area in the late 1200s, and
therefore the population increased remarkably. About half of the villages in the
current National Park co-operation area were inhabited already in the Middle
Age.
Development in the means of livelihood affects the population
The population in the archipelago increased until the mid 1500s, after
which it started to decline fast. The natural resources could not support more
people with the old techniques. The decline was caused not only by the decrease
in available natural resources but also by wars and diseases. In the beginning
of 1700s the Great Northern War and the Black Death made the life more difficult in the
archipelago.
In the mid 1800s the life in the
outer archipelago changed because the technical development made it easier to
earn living. New fishing methods, such as hook and drift nets, no longer
required joint effort of the whole village. Their deployment made it possible for people to
live outside the villages. The new settlements led to fast population
growth.
In the beginning of 1900s, the work opportunities in
mainland and towns began to attract the people of the archipelago. The poorest
crofter’s cottages were deserted first. However, the outer archipelago was still
inhabited until the 1950s, and around 1970s the population started to grow again
as the town people found the “summer paradise”.
Traditional landscapes
In the traditional self-sufficient way of life the islands were used as
grazing ground for cattle. The combination of grazing, and clearing and burning
over woodland created and kept the meadows open. Many birds, plants, mushrooms,
butterflies and beetles unknown in the mainland could be found on the pasture
and leaf fodder meadows. After the decline in permanent settlements, agriculture
and keeping of cattle, the traditional pasture and meadows began to
disappear.
Nowadays the traditional landscapes are taken care of in the National Park,
and grazing kept up in several islands. The cattle and sheep help the park staff
and volunteers in looking after the landscape. The volunteer camps continue the
tradition of former joint effort of the villages. Because of these measures, the
park still includes beautiful meadows with plenty of flowers, pasturage and
other traditional landscapes, which are taken care of in the traditional
way.
