Hauensuoli rock carvings

Two small islets side by side off the coast of Tulliniemi in Hanko form a narrow strait between them, said to be as narrow as a fish’s gut. Hauensuoli (“Pike’s Gut”, Gäddtarmen in Swedish) has served as a sheltered stopover for ships sailing around the Hanko Peninsula or across the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn since the Middle Ages.

While waiting for favourable winds, sailors passed the time by carving their names and symbols into the shoreline cliffs. The oldest carvings date back to the 15th century. The cliffs of Hauensuoli bear the coats of arms of noble families, the names of Swedish kings, and images of crowns. The tradition of leaving one’s mark continued in later centuries as well—the Finnish lion coat of arms and the carved name of President Urho Kekkonen can also be found on the rocks.

In total, over 600 individual carvings have been catalogued at Hauensuoli. Today, the carving area is protected under the Antiquities Act (in Finnish, rky.fi).

The oldest carvings at Hauensuoli date back to the 15th century. This natural harbour at Tullisaari was a busy stopover 500 years ago. In 1584, Casper von Tiesenhausen—who belonged to a well-known Baltic noble family and served in the Swedish army as a cavalry captain—visited Hauensuoli. The family’s coat of arms includes a bull and bull's horns above the helmet. His carving in the rock is a testament to the area’s most active era.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Gulf of Finland saw heavy ship traffic transporting troops and supplies, as Finland, Sweden, and the Baltic countries belonged to the same kingdom.

As the strait became shallower and ships grew larger during the 17th century—and as pilotage services developed—Hauensuoli’s importance declined. However, the site remained known among seafarers, and in the centuries that followed, visitors continued to come to see the old carvings and leave their own marks behind.

One of the most famous inscriptions was made by a surveying party led by Augustin Ehrensvärd, designer of Suomenlinna. On 21 August 1754, they recorded that the gentlemen officers hunted, fished, surveyed the islands’ surface areas and sea level—then enjoyed a fine cup of coffee to top it off.

Hauensuoli is a one-of-a-kind “guestbook of seafarers”. The carvings have been cleaned and painted by the Hanko Museum and the Finnish Heritage Agency so they are not lost under moss and can still be viewed by today’s visitors.

Mapping of shipwrecks and other underwater cultural heritage around Hauensuoli has also begun. The site is part of the Tulliniemi Nature Reserve managed by Metsähallitus, with a special focus on the protection of seabirds.

The Hauensuoli rock carvings are located on Tullisaari island, just south of the Tulliniemi Coast Guard station. The distance by sea from Hanko’s Eastern Harbour (Itäsatama) is approximately 4 kilometres.

In summer, local tourism companies based in Hanko’s Eastern Harbour offer regular waterbus cruises to Hauensuoli. More information is available on the City of Hanko’s website: visithanko.fi.

There is a guest boat jetty at Tullisaari. However, mooring at the jetty must not obstruct the arrival of the waterbus.

Coordinates:
Euref-Fin (~ WGS84) lat: 59° 48.4' lon: 22° 54.6'
ETRS-TM35FIN: N: 6636960 E: 270635

The island features a 0.6 km long marked cultural trail.