Vitträsk Rock Paintings – Kirkkonummi, Finland - Atlas Obscura
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Vitträsk Rock Paintings

Kirkkonummi, Finland

These lakeside pictographs were some of the first pieces of prehistoric artwork found in Finland. 

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The first ancient rock paintings discovered in Finland were found in 1911 by none other than the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Situated in a beautiful cliffside spot, the composer stumbled upon them while visiting the nearby home of Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen.

The prehistoric art decorates a stone ledge about 16 meters above the waves of Lake Vitträsk. When the paintings were first made, they would have been closer to the water, but due to glacial rebound over millennia, the ground has risen several meters higher above the lake.

Like many other pieces of prehistoric rock art in Finland, the markings are reddish-brown in color and feature symbols and figures of people and animals.

pictograms cave paintings prehistoric lakes archaeology
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Published
October 18, 2022
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Nearby
Villa Mehu
2.21 miles
Högberget Cave
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Lake Bodom
6.54 miles
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