The building of the Sveaborg sea-fortress began in 1748 by order of Fredrik I, King of Sweden. The purpose of the fortress was to secure the naval routes to Helsinki and to serve as a landing place for Swedish reinforcements. Sveaborg was a difficult name to pronounce for the Finnish builders and the fortress quickly came to be called Viapori.
     In turn, the fortress was officially named Suomenlinna ( 'Finnish Fortress') on May 12, 1918. Following the civil war the fortress acted as a prison camp for the Finnish Red Guards, who had been sympathetic to the Revolution. After the prisoners were pardoned, the area came under the jurisdiction of the Finnish Army and became a garrison for

infantry, naval artillery, anti-aircraft and submarine forces. Finland's first aviation factory operated in the drydock area.
     Some of the area's buildings were destroyed by Soviet bombs during World War II. In the postwar period, the use of the fortress as a garrison decreased and tourism picked up. Civilian rule became the norm in 1973 when the Ministry of Defence handed the area over to the Ministry of Education and Suomenlinna was made one of the districts of Helsinki. Nowadays, the area's military traditions are honoured by the Naval Academy operating there.