Berghamn (Åland)

Berghamn is the westernmost ferry harbour of the autonomous Finnish territory Åland, in the Archipelago Sea within the Baltic sea. Berghamn is situated on the island of Eckerö. From this harbour, the ship company Eckerö Linjen has an international ferry link with Grisslehamn in Sweden. The ferry leaves several times a day. The crossing takes little less than 2 hours, crossing a time zone.

As both Finland and Sweden are in the Schengen zone and Nordic Passport Union there are no passport checks.

There were however customs checks, and the route was very much seen as a “duty free” opportunity for travellers stocking up on alcohol and other products. I visited this point as part of the IBRG MAEX-23 expedition.

Åland Islands

The Åland Islands is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. Ålands only land border is on the the uninhabited island of Märket, which it shares with Sweden. The border has a 470-metre long, complexly shaped border marked with border signs. My visit report to Märket is here.

Åland’s autonomous status means that those provincial powers normally exercised by representatives of the central Finnish Government are largely exercised by its own government. The current demilitarised, neutral position of Åland dates back to the Paris Peace Treaty after the Åland War in the 1850s.

By law, Åland is politically neutral and entirely demilitarised, and residents are exempt from conscription to the Finnish Defence Forces. Åland was granted extensive autonomy by the Parliament of Finland in the Act on the Autonomy of Åland of 1920, which was later replaced by new legislation of the same name in 1951 and 1991.

Åland Island Registration Plates

As an autonomous area the Åland Islands have their own registration plate.

The constitution of Finland defines a “constitution of Åland” by referring to this act. Åland remains exclusively Swedish-speaking by this act. Åland held its own referendum on membership of the European Union on 20 November 1994. A majority of Ålanders voted in favour of membership, and it followed Finland into the Union in 1995. A special Åland protocol regulates Åland’s position within the EU. It has some important exceptions, concerning the right of non-Ålanders to own real estate and the right of non-Ålandic companies to establish themselves in the region, and concerning EU tax legislation.

Some foreign countries have established consulates in the capital Mariehamn. My report on the ones I observed is here.