View source for Old Rauma

{{expand Finnish|topic=struct|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS         = Old Rauma
| Image       = Hauenguano.jpg
| image_size  = 250px
| Caption     = Hauenguano square
| Location    = [[Rauma, Finland]]
| Criteria    = Cultural: iv, v
| ID          = 582
| Year        = 1991
| Area        = 29 ha
| Buffer_zone = 142 ha
| Coordinates = {{coord|61|07|42|N|21|30|42|E}}
| locmapin    = Finland
}}
'''Old Rauma''' ({{langx|fi|Vanha Rauma}}, {{langx|sv|Gamla Raumo}}) is the wooden [[city centre|centre]] of the [[town]] of [[Rauma, Finland]]. It was inscribed on the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage List]] in 1991 because of its unique wooden architecture and its well-preserved medieval town layout.<ref name = "unesco">{{cite web |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/582 |title = Old Rauma |website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date = 25 September 2021}}</ref> It is one of the only medieval towns in Finland.<ref name = "unesco"/>

The area of Old Rauma is about 0.3&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, with approximately six hundred buildings (counting both proper houses and smaller buildings like sheds) and about 800 people living in the area.<ref name = "unesco"/> The oldest buildings date from the 18th century, as two fires in 1640 and 1682 destroyed much of the town. However, the layout of the town center still retains much of its medieval structure.<ref name = "unesco"/> The wooden buildings are almost exclusively one story, although several older buildings also have cellars. The residential buildings are located along the main street, whereas the ancillary buildings (for example, grain houses and sheds) were constructed along narrow alleyways.<ref name = "unesco"/> Most buildings are currently inhabited and owned by private individuals, although along the two main streets and around the town square they are mainly outside in business use.<ref name = "unesco"/> In the 18th century, the town of Rauma expanded outside the Old Rauma proper, and the increased ship trading led to the modernization of the city.<ref name = "unesco"/>

Although Old Rauma was almost completely destroyed by fires, a few buildings and ruins survive from medieval times. The [[Church of the Holy Cross, Rauma|Church of the Holy Cross]], a [[Franciscan]] [[monastery]] church inaugurated in 1512, contains several medieval paintings and is one of the main attractions in Old Rauma.<ref name = "vanha">{{cite web |url = https://www.visitrauma.fi/en/see-and-experience/old-rauma/places-to-visit-in-old-rauma/ |title = Places to Visit in Old Rauma |access-date = 25 September 2021}}</ref> Another church in Old Rauma, the Church of the Holy [[Trinity]], also from the 15th century, burned in the fire of 1640.<ref name = "vanha"/> The only other ancient stone building is the [[Rauma Old Town Hall|Old Town Hall]], which was constructed in 1776.<ref name = "vanha"/>

Other locations of special interest include the ''Kirsti''  house, which is a seaman's house from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the ''Marela'' house, which is a shipowner's house dating to the 18th century but with a 19th-century facade, both of which are currently museums.<ref name = "vanha"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat-inline|Old Rauma}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041205000433/http://www.rauma.fi/kmos/mallit/ Old Rauma] as a [[VRML]] model
*[http://www.oldrauma.fi/ Old Rauma information in English]

{{World Heritage Sites in Finland}}

[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Finland]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Finland]]
[[Category:Architecture in Finland]]
[[Category:Rauma, Finland]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Satakunta]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Satakunta]]