Interesting and Important Places (Интересные и важные места)

[Guinness]

Some interesting locales within the Empire.

[Guinness]

As of 1900, Finland is an autonomous realm of the Russian Empire, under the Emperor's direct control through his title of Grand Duke of Finland. He is represented in Helsinki, the Finnish capital, by the Governor General.

Finns historically have had difficulty establishing their own national character. Before Russian dominance, Finland was a realm of the Swedish Empire.

The last half of the 19th century saw a strong movement in favor of Finnish nationalism, aided by the relatively benign attitude directed toward Finland from St. Petersburg. By 1900, many Finns see their relationship with the Empire as more or less a constitutional monarchy. Finland has it's own parliament.

There is an ongoing movement toward Finnicization at the turn of the century, as an increasing number of Finns are speaking Finnish instead of Swedish at home, and some are giving up their Swedish surnames for Finnish names.

The movement is characterized by this motto: "Svenskar äro vi icke mera, ryssar kunna vi icke bli, derför måste vi vara finnar." In english that translates to: "Swedes we are no more, Russians we cannot become, therefore Finns we must be."

More darkly, Finland has become a hotbed for anarchist sentiment within Russia, and many upper-class Finns still have an affinity both toward Sweden, and to Germanic heritage and values in general.