Editing Suomenlinna (section)

== Present day ==
[[File:Mariella Kustaanmiekka.jpg|thumb|[[M/S Mariella|M/S ''Mariella'']] passing through the Kustaanmiekka strait after leaving Helsinki for [[Stockholm]]]]
Suomenlinna is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in Helsinki as well as a popular picnicking spot for the city's inhabitants. In 2009, a record 713,000 people visited Suomenlinna, most between May and September.<ref>[http://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/artikkeli/1135252218882 Helsingin sanomat (Finnish)]</ref> A number of museums exist on the island, as well as the last surviving Finnish submarine, [[Finnish submarine Vesikko|''Vesikko'']].
[[File:Suomenlinnaferry.JPG|thumb|The M/S ''Suomenlinna II'' transports residents, tourists and vehicles to and from the harbor at Suomenlinna]]

There are about 900 permanent inhabitants on the islands, and 350 people work there year-round.

There is a minimum-security penal [[labor colony]] ({{langx|fi|työsiirtola}}) in Suomenlinna, whose inmates work on the maintenance and reconstruction of the fortifications. Only volunteer inmates who pledge non-use of controlled substances are accepted to the labour colony.

For the general public, Suomenlinna is served by [[Suomenlinna ferry|ferries]] all year, and a service tunnel supplying heating, water and electricity was built in 1982. In the beginning of the 1990s, the tunnel was modified so that it can also be used for emergency transport. 

Transport to and from the island is generally ceased between the hours of 0300 and 0600 daily, but is otherwise regular and frequent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Services - Travelling - HSL |url=https://reittiopas.hsl.fi/reitti/Helsinki%3A%3A60.167488%2C24.942747/Suomenlinna%20(Suokki)%2C%20Helsinki%3A%3A60.144388%2C24.985405?time=1719848917.947&arriveBy=false&locale=en}}</ref> 

Suomenlinna has been known as a location for avant-garde culture. In the mid-1980s, the Nordic Arts Centre was established on the island. Several buildings have been converted into artists' studios, which are let by the administration at reasonable rates. During the summer there is an art school for children. The performances of the Suomenlinna summer theater regularly draw full houses.

Between 2 and 6 September 2015, the Finnish postal service ran a test of the use of drones to deliver parcels between Helsinki and Suomenlinna. The parcels were limited to {{convert|3|kg|0|abbr=on}} or less, and flights were under the control of a pilot.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160129060655/http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-finland-postaldrone-idUKKCN0RE15E20150914 Reuters – "Finnish post office tests drone for parcel delivery" -accessed 15 September 2015.]</ref>

The island houses a backpackers' hostel operating in a converted school building, built in 1908 and having served as a Russian school (1909-1917), military office (1918-1919), Finnish school (1920-1959), and a canteen and entertainment venue for soldiers (1959-1972). 

Suomenlinna Church, built in 1854, was adapted in 1929 to include a lighthouse beacon.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Suomenlinna Church |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/suomenlinna-kirkko-lighthouse |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref> Both the church and beacon are still active today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suomenlinnan kirkko tarjoaa puitteet seurakunta- ja perhetilaisuuksille |url=https://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/artikkelit/suomenlinnankirkkotarjoaapuitteetseurakunta-japerhetilaisuuksille |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Helsingin seurakunnat |language=fi}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The lighthouse beacon was modernised to use LED lighting in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marine |first=Sabik |title=Suomenlinna sea fortress lighthouse modernized to led technology |url=https://media.sabik.com/media/79-suomenlinna-sea-fortress-lighthouse-modernized-to-led-technology |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=media.sabik.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>