The islands of Rosala and Hitis
The islands of Rosala and Hiittinen are part of the Salpausselkä ridges, which formed towards the end of the Ice Age. In the area, there are burial cairns dating back to the Iron Age, and the strait between Hitis and Rosala, known as Kyrksundet, has been a trading place since at least the 10th century. You can explore Viking Age findings and Iron Age life at Rosala Viking Centre.
Both the villages of Hitis and Rosala have had permanent settlements since at least the Middle Ages, and they are built cultural heritage sites of national significance. The church in Hitis, built in the 1600s, is the second oldest wooden cruciform church in Finland.
The Hitis village store and its small café are open year-round, and in the summer, you can enjoy food and drinks for example in Backom Café or Bistro Marita. You can find all the services and places to visit in the village associations' Walkabout brochure.
You can get to the islands year-round with a free ferry departing from Kasnäs. It is about 5 km from Långnäs, the ferry harbor of the islands, to Rosala and about 6 km to Hitis. If you travel with your own boat, you can stay comfortably at Rosala's guest harbor Nötholm.
