THE HISTORY OF BOISTÖ

In ancient times, fishing and sealing were practised on the island of Boistö. The pilots started their activities around 1720. The original pilot´s station was built in 1892.

Boistö has experienced a lot of the history of the Gulf of Finland. In front of Suursaari, Russian and Swedish naval divisions fought five great battles in the 18th century as part of the struggle between these two great powers of the time. As experts on the archipelago, the pilots participated in these battles. Their significance for both wars and commercial shipping has been invaluable. In the demanding conditions, the work of the pilots has been very dangerous, especially during the wartime.

The influence of the pilots on Boistö continued until 2003. After this, all the pilot activity in the area was concentrated on the island of Orrengrund, southwest of Boistö.

In the 20th century, Boistö was also occupied by coast guards, coastal artillery and the Finnish Lifeboat Institution. The effect of the coastal artillery was slight. As a memory of this period there is a fire control tower on the island´s highest spot. The coast guards left the island in 1996, after which the Finnish Lifeboat Institution adopted it as a training centre. The Institution decided to move to new facilities in the Inkoo archipelago in 2006.

In 2008, a new period began in Boistö: a business took over offering high-quality services for meetings and events while respecting the old island traditions.