Earlier today I received this lovely postcard showing Porvoo, a Finnish town located on the southern coast. It's one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century. The town is famed for its ''Old Town'', a dense mediaeval street patern with predominantly wooden houses. The Old Town came close to being demolished in the 19th century by a new urban plan for the city. Luckily, the plan was cancelled. The red-colored wooden storage buildings on the riverside are a proposed UNESCO world heritage site. Already by the early 19th century the authorities understood the value of the old town, and so with the need for growth a plan was made for a 'new town' built adjacent to the old town, following a grid plan but with houses also built in wood.
Juho, thank you so much!
