Introduction to Suomenlinna: Suomenlinna is a defensive military project built in 1748 to prevent the expansion of Russian power. In the old days, Finland was subordinate to Sweden. Artillery officer Augustin Erenswald was responsible for the construction and it was successfully completed at the end of the 18th century. As Sweden's military power declined year by year and the Russian Empire grew stronger, the Swedish army stationed at Suomenlinna surrendered to Russia in 1908. During the Crimean War, a fleet led by the British conducted a massive bombardment and eventually captured the castle. After Finland became independent in 1918, the Finns regained the castle and named it Suomenlinna.