Langinkoski

Langinkoski is a rapid on the Kymi river in Kotka, Finland. Langinskoski has been called one of the best salmon rapids in Finland.^[1][2]

Salmon Fishers at the Langinkoski Rapid by Gunnar Berndtson in 1892

Lower part of Langinkoski rapid in July 2023

Imperial Fishing Lodge

The fishing dacha of Alexander III of Russia at Langinkoski

The fishing dacha in inside

The Imperial Family’s association with Langinkoski began in the summer of 1880, when the then-crown prince Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov and his wife first visited the rapids to witness the salmon fisheries. The beauty of the rushing waters and the drama of the catch made a deep impression upon them. Both Alexander and Dagmar were captivated by the scenery, and they gave their word that they would return.^[1]

That promise bore fruit, and in time the emperor’s summer lodge rose by the riverside. Today, the log-built imperial fishing lodge endures not only as a rare testament to Alexander III’s preference for simplicity but also as a museum, preserving the memory of a Russian sovereign who, though ruler of vast dominions, sought solace in the quiet forests and salmon streams of Finland.^[1]

In the summer of 1880, Tsesarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, the heir apparent to the imperial throne, journeyed to the salmon-rich waters of Langinkoski in the Grand Duchy of Finland. The natural beauty of the rapids, coupled with the abundance of the catch, left a lasting impression on the young heir.^[1]

Seven years later, in 1887, Alexander, by then crowned Emperor Alexander III of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, returned to Langinkoski. On this occasion he was accompanied by his consort, Empress Maria Feodorovna, formerly Princess Dagmar of Denmark. Their visit culminated in a significant directive for the Grand Duchy: an imperial fishing lodge was to be constructed at Langinkoski, and the fishing rights hitherto enjoyed under Finnish administration were transferred directly to the emperor himself.^[1]

Thus, Langinkoski, once a local fishing ground, became a symbol of imperial leisure and authority during Alexander III’s reign.^[1]

The imperial fishing lodge at Langinkoski was entrusted to some of Finland’s leading architectural minds. The design was prepared under the direction of Sebastian Gripenberg, Director General of the Board of Public Buildings, together with architect Magnus Schjerfbeck, while the refined interiors were created by Jac Ahrenberg, whose work reflected both functionality and elegance befitting an emperor’s retreat.^[1]

The interior decoration of the lodge was almost entirely designed and manufactured in Finland. The pieces of furniture in the sitting room were manufactured by local cabinetmakers, the textiles by Tampella in Tampere, the chinaware by Arabia in Helsinki, the axe by Billnäs, the wine and drinking glasses by Karhula Glassworks, and the kitchen stove by Högfors - all well-known firms, most of which still exist today, apart from Tampella.

In 1888, during the period of construction, Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, accompanied by their children Grand Duke Michael, 10, and Grand Duchess Olga, 6, frequently visited the site to observe its progress. These imperial inspections underscored the personal significance the project held for the Russian sovereigns.^[1]

The lodge was formally inaugurated on 15 July 1889 in a festive ceremony that drew an illustrious assembly of guests. Among them were the Queen of Greece and the Duchess of Edinburgh, whose presence lent international prestige to the occasion. From the distant ports of Helsinki and Vyborg, diplomatic representatives and embassies traveled by boat, converging on Langinkoski to pay homage to the rulers of the land.^[1]

Thus the modest Finnish riverside was, for a moment, transformed into the stage of imperial grandeur and international diplomacy.^[1]

Imperial Visits

Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna in the family circle on the porch of his home in Langinkoski

Tsar Alexander III

In the tranquil summers of the late nineteenth century, the Russian imperial family journeyed to Langinkoski aboard the Empress’s yacht, Tsarevna. Anchoring in the Gulf of Finland, they would disembark to spend their days at the imperial fishing hut, in the company of family, relatives, and trusted friends, before returning each evening to the refined comforts of the yacht. For Emperor Alexander III, Finland offered both beauty and security: its people were regarded as loyal subjects of the crown, and the modest lodge, encircled by the flowing waters of the Kymi River, could be guarded with relative ease.^[1][3]

Langinkoski also provided something more precious - an escape from the rigid protocols of the Russian court. Here, far from the gilded halls of Saint Petersburg, the emperor and empress could cast aside ceremony and embrace a life of rustic leisure. They fished in the river’s rapids, chopped firewood with their own hands, hiked the surrounding forests, and even cooked their own meals. Such unsophisticated pursuits astonished and, at times, scandalised the circles of high society; yet the imperial family cherished this retreat from pomp, returning summer after summer.^[1][3]

At their Langinkoski lodge the imperial family led a very simple life. Alexander III was very fond of children and he took his youngest children for outings in the surroundings. The members of the imperial family used simple clothing and had uncomplicated food to eat.^[3]

Empress Maria Feodorovna knew how to cook and at Langinkoski she had an opportunity of devoting herself to that hobby. It is known also that she did not like washing the dishes.

For five years, Langinkoski stood as their secluded haven - a place where an emperor and his household could live, if only briefly, in the manner of ordinary people, bound together by river, forest, and a simple hearth.^[1][3]

Some years ago a photograph taken at Langinkoski was found in the Russian State Archives in Saint Petersburg. The picture shows Empress Maria Feodorovna sitting on the kitchen porch busying herself with cooking. The young officer to the right is Grand Duke George, her second youngest son. This probably was his only visit to Langinkoski. He had caught tuberculosis and the doctors had recommended for him to live in a mountain climate. He lived in the Caucasus and died there at the age of 28 years.

Tsar Nicholas II

The sudden death of Emperor Alexander III in 1894 brought an end to the imperial summers at Langinkoski. With the passing of the crown to his son, Nicholas II, the small lodge by the Kymi River gained a new master. Yet Nicholas II, though fond of Finland, showed little attachment to the site that had so delighted his parents. After his accession, he returned to Langinkoski only once, in 1906, accompanied by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and their four young daughters - Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and the youngest, Anastasia, then but five years of age - stayed there for only a couple of hours.^[1][4][5]

Maintaining the tradition of cruising the Finnish waters that Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna had begun, Nicholas II continued to spend summers along the Gulf of Finland. His voyages, however, were more often directed to Virolahti, where the imperial yacht Standart would anchor in secluded bays. The widowed empress dowager, Maria Feodorovna, frequently joined these summer expeditions, yet she never returned to Langinkoski after the death of her husband.^[1]

Thus the lodge, once the scene of rustic imperial life and familial contentment, gradually fell silent, its role in dynastic memory overshadowed by both the shifting habits of the new emperor and the somber shadow cast by Alexander III’s untimely death.^[1]

Museum

Terrace.

Interior.

During the First World War, the Russian Revolution broke out in 1917, overthrowing the Russian Empire. As a consequence of these events, the Grand Duchy of Finland declared its independence. When Finland became independent in 1917 the Imperial Fishing Lodge was taken over by the Finnish Government, but it was left without maintenance. Pieces of furniture were removed to unknown destinations and the lodge began to deteriorate.

Private individuals saved the lodge for posterity by establishing an association with the intention of turning the lodge into a museum. Their second attempt to get the government's permission for their project met with success and in 1933 the museum was opened. This very day the association, Langinkoski Museum Society, acts as museum operator under a contract with the government and under the supervision of the National Board of Antiquities.

In the 1920s the beds of the Emperor and the Empress had been taken away to an unknown place. As a result of many years of detective work by the Finnish Heritage Agency the beds were traced to Kultaranta, the summer residence of the president of Finland.

There they were placed in the guest rooms. In 1956 they were returned to Langinkoski where they can be seen upstairs in the bedroom of the imperial couple."^[6]

In October 2024, it was announced that the museum would be closed due to budget cuts by Petteri Orpo's government affecting the Finnish Heritage Agency.^[7] The Finnish Heritage Agency received additional funding from the Orpo government, which made it possible to continue museum operations.^[8]

Langinkoski is a popular destination. In 2019, there were 12,431 visitors, which is more than at any time in the fishing lodge’s recent history. As many as 34 percent of Langinkoski’s visitors were foreigners.^[9]

Attractions

• Imperial Fishing Lodge. Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna had heard about the rapids, which were rich in salmon. In the summer of 1880, Alexander III went to Langinkoski for the first time to go fishing and he was fascinated by the nature of the region. In 1887 the couple decided to build a fisherman's hut on the banks of the rapids, which was ceremonially opened on July 15, 1889. The two-storey hut, situated on the eastern bank of the river, has retained its original appearance and functioned as a museum.
• The Orthodox Chapel, the oldest building on the territory of the reserve, was created by the monks of the Valaam Monastery 80 years earlier than the imperial hut. The building was open at first, glass windows were installed later.
• The Fishermen's Hut is an authentic fishermen's hut that was built in 1892 for three imperial fishermen by order of Alexander III.
• The "imperial" fishermen's stone. It is known for certain that the Emperor liked to fish with a rod for aspirin, sitting on a large rock on the eastern bank of the rapids. To climb the stone, Alexander III built with his own hands a wooden ladder, which survives to this day.
• Russian trenches of the World War I from 1918. - The fortifications on the eastern bank of the Kymi River, equipped with a system of small arms trenches, machine gun nests and dugouts, were built in 1916. The construction of the fortifications was completed by the end of the war, in 1918. The trenches at Langinkoski are about 1.5 kilometres long and 1.5 metres deep.
• The imperial memorial stone. Two years after the death of Alexander III, the memorial stone was unveiled in Langinkoski in November 1896. There is a plaque on the huge boulder that reads: "Peaceful Alexander III enjoyed quiet here, protected by the local people, from 1888 to 1894. The people of Kymi and Kotka have erected this memorial plaque". During the Civil War in 1918, after which Finland became independent, the memorial stone was shelled, and attempts were made to tear it down. Traces of these events have also been preserved in the reserve as a historical monument.
• An old summer café. The summer coffee pavilion, built back in 1926, sits on a rock at the end of the road Keisarinmajantie, next to the car park.

See also

• Langinkoski Church