Finland's burial grounds and ancient burial sites

Two layers of burial history

This page brings together two distinct layers of burial tradition. Prehistoric remains include Bronze Age stone cairns, Lapp cairns, and Iron Age cremation burial grounds, where the ash of the cremated dead was often buried without a separate burial structure. Historical sites encompass burial islands, wilderness cemeteries, Orthodox burial grounds, burial chapels, and old church graveyards, which emerged alongside Christianity and were established in connection with churches and parishes. Fixed prehistoric remains in Finland predating 1750 are automatically protected under the Ancient Monuments Act.

From Bronze Age to Christianity

In the Bronze Age, the dead were interred in prominent stone cairns, often near the ancient shoreline. The Iron Age saw the rise of cremation burial grounds, where the remains of the cremated dead and grave goods – weapons, ornaments, tools – were cached in the earth without a separate stone structure. With the establishment of Christianity, burials shifted to church graveyards, and later dedicated burial grounds emerged near towns and parishes; some were founded on islands or in remote wilderness settlements far from village churches.

Examples across Finland

The map includes both well-known and lesser-known sites:

• Sammallahdenmäki, Rauma – UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999, Finland's first archaeological site on the list; cairns span the Bronze Age through Iron Age.
• Vainionmäen kalmisto, Laitila – a Merovingian-era cremation burial ground and stone cairn discovered in the 1980s, yielding eleven swords in excavation.
• Kalevanpojan viikatteentikku, Laitila – a standing stone over two metres tall on Untamala church burial ground; 1952 excavations revealed two inhumation burials from the 1100s–1200s nearby.
• Papinsaaren burial ground, Kuhmoinen – the island functioned as a burial ground and ritual site before Christianity arrived, with bronze ornaments recovered dating to the 800s.
• Päivääniemen kalmisto, Lempäälä – an Iron Age burial ground of some 130 cairns, with a fine sword recovered from its largest grave.
• Selkäkankaan burial cairns, Nakkila – a cluster of four cairns, the largest of which is, according to Wikipedia, among Finland's most substantial burial cairns.
• Hamina Orthodox burial ground – tracing to the 1700s; an adjacent church, designed by architect Berndt Ivar Aminoff, was completed in 1901.

Where ancient burial sites and old burial grounds are most concentrated

In Satakunta, Rauma, Laitila, Eura, and Nakkila form a dense Bronze and Iron Age cemetery cluster. In Pirkanmaa, Tampere and Lempäälä host multiple Iron Age burial grounds and Lapp cairns. In Uusimaa, Siuntio and Helsinki are known for Roman Iron Age burial finds. In Päijät-Häme, Lahti, Heinola, and Sysmä hold burial grounds dating to the Crusade era and Iron Age. Southeast Finland's Hamina preserves Orthodox burial ground heritage, while North Karelia and Kainuu, in places like Joensuu and Kuhmo, retain wilderness cemeteries and burial islands far from village churches.

Before you go

Fixed prehistoric remains predating 1750 – such as burial cairns and cremation burial grounds – are protected under Finland's Ancient Monuments Act: they cannot be excavated, moved, or damaged, and metal detecting is prohibited without authorization. Burial cairns show most clearly in the landscape when vegetation is sparse, for example in spring before trees leaf or in autumn after leaf fall. On burial grounds and church graveyards, move quietly and show respect, as some sites are still in use or contain named graves. Wilderness cemeteries and burial islands often lie remote, so planning your route in advance is wise.