Gustaf Erikson's archive was accepted into UNESCO's Memory of the World register
After several years of completion, Åland submitted an application to UNESCO in 2021 for Gustaf Erikson's archive to be included in the International Memory of the World Register of Documentary Heritage.
After several years of completion, Åland submitted an application to UNESCO in 2021 for Gustaf Erikson's archive to be included in the International Memory of the World Register of Documentary Heritage.
The competition for access to the register is very fierce, as there are items considered to be an inalienable part of the historical knowledge of mankind such as the Magna Charta of England, the French Declaration of Human Rights, the Gutenberg Bible, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, the manuscripts of Isaac Newton and the construction documents of the Suez Canal.
The port of Åland's capital Mariehamn is dominated by the large, four-masted sailing vessel Pommern. It is almost a hundred metres long and its main mast reaches a height of up to 50 metres. The Pommern is a source of pride in Åland. It reminds Ålanders of the last large sailing ships, from 1913 to 1949, when Åland was the home port of the world's last commercial sailing fleet and Gustaf Erikson had sovereign control over the cargo traffic of these ships on the world's seas.
Erikson's ships sailed the world's seas, but the business was managed from Erikson's office in Mariehamn. These most magnificent ships of their time, bought from all over the world, attracted attention in all the ports where they visited and put Åland on the world map. Interest in them was boosted by success in the wheat transportation, known to the world as The Great Grain Race. In it, ships carrying wheat from Australia to England competed to see which vessel delivered its cargo in the shortest time from the port of departure to the port of destination.
Gustaf Erikson's vessels won the unofficial competition more times than those of any other shipping company. Gustaf Erikson was named King of Windjammers in the British press. Books were written about the shipping company, and the amazing voyages of its ships were described in newspapers and magazines. The shipwreck of one of Erikson's best-known ships, the four-masted barque Herzogin Cecilie, off the coast of England in 1936 was world-class news.
Large sailing ships created jobs and increased prosperity in Åland. In almost every family, a family member or close relative had sailed on Erikson's ships. Long journeys on the world's seas broadened the worldview and encouraged entrepreneurship. That spirit is still strong in Åland today.
The materials of the sailing ship period have been preserved exceptionally well. Shipowner Gustaf Erikson carefully archived all information about the vessels, such as financial materials related to their acquisition and equipping, logbooks and incredibly extensive correspondence with customers, captains, insurance companies, shipyards and many other operators.
The preservation of materials from the Åland sailing ship era is the responsibility of the Åland Maritime Museum and the Provincial Archives under the Provincial Government of Åland. Their collections are extensive, coherent in terms of content and internationally unique. The Maritime Museum's collections of objects complement this ensemble in an impressive way. These materials are a superior source of information for international researchers. In addition to the history of merchant shipping, they are also an important source for climate researchers, as carefully kept logbooks contain weather data from the Southern Oceans, an area where few other ships operated between the World Wars.
After several years of completion, Åland submitted an application to UNESCO in 2021 for Gustaf Erikson's archive to be included in the International Memory of the World Register of Documentary Heritage. The competition for access to the register is very fierce, as there are items considered to be an inalienable part of the historical knowledge of mankind such as the Magna Charta of England, the French Declaration of Human Rights, the Gutenberg Bible, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, the manuscripts of Isaac Newton and the construction documents of the Suez Canal.
After a two-year evaluation process, UNESCO's Executive Board and Director-General confirmed that Gustaf Erikson's archive shall be one of the new items to be included in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. The decision was announced on May 24, 2023. On the same day, a hundred years earlier, Gustaf Erikson bought the gallant ship Pommern for his fleet.
As a museum ship in the port of Mariehamn, it is a symbol of the era of large sailing ships when Åland's dominated the cargo traffic of sailing ships around the world. In Åland, the decision was announced on 23.5.2023 by Åland's Minister of Education and Culture, Mrs. Annika Hambrudd when she opened an exhibition in honour of the centenary of Pommern at the Åland Maritime Museum.
More information:
Minister of Education and Culture, Mrs. Annika Hambrudd
[email protected]
Tel. +358 18 2500
Mobil: +358 457 3431786
Head Archivist of Åland, Mr. Åke Söderlund
The Provincial Archives of Åland
[email protected]
Tel. +358 18 25340
Director, Mrs. Hanna Hagmark
Åland Maritime Museum and Museum Ship Pommern
[email protected]
Tel. +358 18 19930
Chair of the National Memory of the World Committee of Finland, Dr. (Mr.) Jussi Nuorteva
[email protected]
Puh. +358 40 592 5131