One of the oldest diving suits in existence - called Wanha Herra

THE 'OLD GENTLEMAN' OF RAAHE -the oldest surviving diving suit in the world.

The best-known item in Raahe Museum is "the Old Gentleman", a diving suit from the early 18th century. This rarity was donated to the museum by Captain Leufstadius in 1860s.

The maker of the suit has mastered the latest achievements of the diving technology that made huge progress in the 18th century. The Old Gentleman is therefore regarded as a unique crossover form made from leather in the transition from the diving bell to the actual heavy diving suit.

The Old Gentleman is mostly made of cow leather. The seams are sewn with a waxed thread and sealed with pitch. The diving suit was made waterproof by sealing it with a mixture of pork fat, tar and pitch. The hood-shaped head is reinforced from the inside with a wooden framework. In the upper part of the hood is an opening for a wooden air pipe.

The diver wriggled himself into the diving suit through an opening in front of the body, which is closed by pressing the pitched mouth part together. This "sack mouth" was rolled on the belt and was attached to the diver's waist. The air was pumped to the diver through wooden pipes that were mutually connected with leather, either using a piston pump or bellows. The air was discharged through a shorter pipe on the backside.

Diving lasted for a short time, since the suit was not completely watertight and could not withstand high pressure. However, the diving suit did offer its user the opportunity of checking the condition of hulls without having to tilt the vessels or to bring them into dry dock.

The diving suit is presumably of Finnish origin, since the top parts of the boots remind one of the traditional short-shanked boots with laces, while the gloves are similar to those typical of Finnish foresters. A drawing from 1727, discovered in the Admiralty’s material held in the Swedish National Archive, depicts a diving suit that is similar to the Old Gentleman. This drawing has helped to date the time at which the Old Gentleman was manufactured.

The Old Gentleman visited exhibitions around the world, the last time being at the 1998 World Exposition in Lisbon. Its longest trip was to Philadelphia, in the United States. In connection with the Sea Finland exhibition that was held in London in 1985, the diving suit was playfully nicknamed the venerable Old Gentleman of Raahe, a name by which this gem of the people of Raahe is still known around the world.

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Viking axe from Mammen

In 1868 a farmer began to dig into the mound Bjerringhøj at Mammen near Viborg. During this work he chanced upon an unusually richly-furnished grave, which has become known as the grave from Mammen. A magnate was buried in the grave during the winter of 970-71 AD. He was given an expensive costume, a ceremonial axe with inlaid silver decoration and a large wax candle.

The buried man lay upon a bed of down cushions in a coffin placed in a wooden chamber – a so-called chamber-grave. At his feet lay two axes. On the coffin lid a bronze bucket, two wooden buckets and a large wax candle had been placed. The man wore costly clothing decorated with purple and red silk, as well as embroideries in red and blue. It is not known whether the deceased was Christian or pagan. The motifs on the one axe can be interpreted as both of these, but the large candle is probably a Christian symbol. The fine quality of the furnishings shows that the deceased presumably belonged to the circle around King Harald Bluetooth.

 One of the most magnificent finds from the Viking Age is one of the axes from the grave at Mammen. It is made of iron with silver inlay. The axe is decorated in the so-called Mammen style, which is named after this particular find. The style arose in the 900s and it survived until around 1000. The motifs on the axe can be interpreted as both Christian and pagan.

On one side a tree motif can be seen. It may symbolise the Christian Tree of Life or the pagan tree Yggdrasil. On the other side is an animal figure – perhaps the rooster Gullinkambi (Old Norse “golden comb”) or the Phoenix. According to Norse mythology Gullinkambi sits on top of the tree Yggdrasil. Here it wakes the Viking warriors every morning and it will crow at the beginning of Ragnarok (the end of the world). The Phoenix is a Christian mythological animal and a symbol of re-birth.

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Roman walls of Lugo

Remarkably intact Roman stone fortifications encircled this Spanish city for centuries. Built sometime around the 3rd century, the ring of towers and walls which now surround the city of Lugo were originally constructed to protect a Roman city from barbarians, and they continue to contain the world’s only city that is completely surrounded by ancient Roman walls. 

Making a bulbous circuit around the border of the town, the ancient walls stand almost 40 feet tall at their highest point, with curved lookout towers bulging out of the wall at irregular intervals. The top of the wall stays a consistent 14 or so feet in width which can still be walked in a complete circuit. Ten gates were built into the wall, and of them, five are still the Roman originals.

Though the walls were built to fend off the Germanic hordes, originally being joined by moats and interior defenses, those same hordes are now welcomed as tourists. Visitors are encouraged to stroll atop the wall from which they can see the entire town of Lugo and beyond.   
The walls consist of internal and external stone facing the core of the earth. It's a mixture of pebbles, gravel and worked Roman stone, cemented with water. The walls have been rebuilt over the centuries, but their shape has never been changed. Even many of the wall’s staircases are original.

The Roman Walls of Lugo still have 10 gates. Five of them are dated to the Roman times, but the other five were added after 1853 due to the expanding town population. Among the five original gates, the best preserved are the Porta Falsa and the Porta Miña. The second one is located near the only original vaulted arch set. The most popular gate is Porta Miña, which is on the way for pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela.

After the fall of Roman control in 409 AD, Galicia became the independent Kingdom of Gallecia (known also as Galliciense Regnum). The old Roman capital of Galicia, Braga (currently in Portugal), became the new capital of the Kingdom controlled by the Germanic tribe Suebi.

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