Landmark Year 1809 - the bicentenary of Finland's separation from Sweden
2009 marks two hundred years since Finland was separated from Sweden by the Peace Treaty of Fredrikshamn. Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt heads the national committee for the bicentenary of events in 1809.
The commemoration of the Landmark Year of 1809 was inaugurated in a ceremony in the Swedish Riksdag on 15 January 2009 in the presence of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and the President of Finland, Mrs Tarja Halonen.
"There are many strong reasons to commemorate in various ways the significance of the important events of 1809 and what they came to mean for our two countries. History is where the future starts," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt.
An important year for both countries
2009 marks two hundred years since Finland was separated from Sweden by the Peace Treaty of Fredrikshamn whereby Finland became an autonomous Russian Grand Principality. The Kingdom of Sweden, which lost a third of its territory and a quarter of its population, at that time acquired in all essentials its present borders.
The year 1809 saw the end of a six hundred year long epoch, when the Kingdom of Sweden was composed of Swedish and Finnish provinces. This community has left deep traces in both countries' development.
The 1812 agreement between the Crown Prince of Sweden, Karl Johan, and Czar Alexander ushered in a new era of two centuries of continued close contact and mutual dependence between Sweden and Finland. This took on new forms, due to Finland's status, first as an autonomous Grand Principality and after 1917 as an independent state. During the past fifteen years in particular, since both Finland and Sweden joined the European Union, it has been possible to extend and deepen this cooperation.
Landmark Year 1809
The Kingdom of Sweden essentially acquired its present borders in 1809.
