PAN Parks Wilderness area, Archipelago, is the first unique example of a marine wilderness. This is the only continuous marine fishing free zone in the Baltic Sea. This PAN Parks Wilderness hides many secrets of marine life: for instance, small isolated islands and rocks provide homeland for rare seals. Strict rules of wilderness protection exclude visitors from this part but other areas of Archipelago NP - accessible if respecting certain rules - provide similar experiences. Sea kayaking is a good choice to explore this very unique marine ecosystem.
The Archipelago in the Baltic Sea was created in the Ice Age. The present National Park area became inhabited in the Iron Age (500-1150 BC). In the beginning of 1900s, the work opportunities in mainland and towns began to attract the people of the archipelago. The poorest crofter’s cottages were deserted first. However, the outer archipelago was still inhabited until the 1950s, and around 1970s the population started to grow again as the town people found the “summer paradise”. Archipelago National Park forms the core area of the large Archipelago Sea Biosphere Reserve, which was established by UNESCO in 1994 to promote sustainable development, and research on interdependency between man and nature.
