| The
circumstances during the Great Northern War
were ideal for the spread of the plague. The
soldiers marching from one place to another
and the refugees who had fled the horrors of
war carried the plague to new places. The
refugees and soldiers were often weak and
malnourished, so their were likely to become
victims of the plague. The plague, the second
punishment, spread to Helsinki in 1710. The
refugees from Tallinn and Riga Brought the
epidemic with them. Helsinki provided some
kind of safety to refugees from all over the
former Swedish regions: Vyborg, Porvoo and
Tallinn. Also the retrieving soldiers were
staying in town as well. |
|
| In 1710 about
650 registered residents of Helsinki died,
which was about half of the town population.
In addition over 500 people from other areas
died and their fates are largely unknown. As
during the famine years the majority of the
unknown victims were buried to the outskirts
of the town, to Kamppi. |
 |
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