Original subtitles

NARRATOR: This is Finland,

as you’ve never seen it before.

From above, we’ll reveal one of Europe’s last frontiers,

where the Finnish people blend ancient skills

with ingenious new technology

to conquer the wild terrain.

♪♪

In this series,

we’ll take an aerial tour across Europe,

filmed over the course of a single year

and through the changing seasons.

We will uncover the culture,

history, and engineering

that built the great European nations we see today.

♪♪

Finland is one of Europe’s most sparsely-populated countries.

The north is an arctic wilderness

with borders to Norway, Sweden, and Russia.

The south is where most of the 5.5 million Finns live

in cities clustered around the capital, Helsinki,

and in seaports up its long Baltic coastline.

Finland’s industries,

including high-grade steel, paper, and timber,

rely on the Baltic seaports

for ninety percent of their trade with the rest of the world.

Many of these vital hubs face a unique challenge

when the weather gets colder

and the sea freezes,

as winter comes to Finland.

For half the year,

the northern tip of the Baltic sea

appears brilliant white from a thick layer of sea ice.

Looking closer reveals a mystery,

a port with strange lines in the ice that stretch towards it.

The port is Tornio.

It’s Finland’s most northerly port,

and a crucial hub for the country’s steel industry.

In winter, seen from above,

powerful reinforced vessels, called icebreakers,

smash snaking paths through the sea ice

for cargo ships to follow.

But these shorelines are filled with hidden dangers,

so the cargo skippers need specialist help

to guide their ships into port.

Kaj Hahtonen is a local ship’s pilot.

It’s his job to climb aboard incoming vessels,

and steer them safely through the treacherous ice lanes.

KAJ HAHTONEN: Finland has the rockiest

and shallowest coastline in Europe.

You need to be very careful on navigating these waters.

NARRATOR: Today, Kaj needs to guide

the mammoth 100 meter Bellaland

into Tornio harbor.

It’s carrying 3,000 tons of limestone

used to make steel.

In summer, he could reach the ship by boat

and jump aboard,

But in winter,

he needs a unique mega-machine

to cross the eight kilometers of sea ice:

a fan-powered craft

called a hydrocopter.

The giant fan pushes the hydrocopter across the ice

on buoyant skids,

powered by a 400-horsepower converted car engine.

Kaj and colleague Harlu

skim across the frozen sea at 20 kilometers an hour.

But the closer they get to the shipping lane,

the weaker the ice becomes.

So Kaj must make the final part of his journey on foot.

Trailing behind an icebreaker,

the Bellaland can’t stop,

or it risks getting stuck in the ice.

Our unique aerial view

reveals Kaj’s astonishing boarding solution:

a portable ramp to cross the broken ice

and jump aboard the moving ship.

(speaking over radio in other language)

HAHTONEN: Boarding a ship from the ice

has always risks, so one step could be fatal.

You always have a little bit of adrenaline

running in your blood.

NARRATOR: Eight kilometers out,

the sea below Kaj’s feet is 11 meters deep,

and zero degrees Celsius.

He can’t afford to put a foot wrong.

♪♪

(Hahtonen speaking other language)

HAHTONEN: Hello.

(speaking other language)

(man speaking other language over radio)

NARRATOR: Safely on board,

Kaj climbs to the bridge to instruct the captain.

HAHTONEN: Good morning, Captain.

NARRATOR: Kaj’s job isn’t just to avoid the dangerous shallows

as he approaches the harbor.

He needs just enough momentum

to prevent ice from forcing the ship to a halt.

HAHTONEN: Sometimes the ship crews are

so unfamiliar with the conditions that

they are a little bit afraid

of using heavy power against the ice.

NARRATOR: It takes an hour for Kaj

to guide Bellaland safely into Tornio’s port,

and the icebreaker peels away.

Kaj must now bring the ship to the dockside,

but thousands of tons of floating ice sit in his way.

Our unique aerial view captures Kaj’s

clever clearing solution like never before.

He first anchors the nose of the ship against the dockside,

and then puts the engines on full thrust.

This creates a current of water

that slowly draws the floating ice away.

Only when enough ice is driven clear

can Kaj safely bring the vessel tight to the dock for unloading.

HAHTONEN: Getting a firm handshake of the captain,

for me, means to me that

I’ve done my job properly.

Helped the ship get into port safely,

and probably a lot faster than without me.

NARRATOR: Tornio relies on mega ships like these

to keep its steel plants running.

But this port is also the historic gateway

to Finland’s largest and most northerly region:

Lapland.

Famous for being the home of Santa Claus,

most of Finland’s largest region sits north of the Arctic Circle,

and is cloaked in darkness for two straight months each winter.

This vast and sprawling area

covers 100,000 square kilometers.

Looking closer from above

reveals a huge expanse of land,

with frozen lakes, open tundra,

and birch shrub-land.

But this wilderness is far from empty.

It’s home to one of the world’s most beloved creatures:

reindeer.

There are about 200,000 reindeer in Finland,

but surprisingly, these animals are not fully wild.

They share a unique relationship

with one of Europe’s last remaining indigenous people:

the Sami.

Nils-Matti Vasara is a Sami herder,

just like his father,

and his father before him.

NILS-MATTI VASARA: We are the people who have always

inhabited this land.

My roots go back 600 years.

NARRATOR: In winter, temperatures here

can plunge as low as minus 30,

and in recent years the snowfall has increased,

impacting the reindeer’s ability

to forage for natural vegetation.

So Nils-Matti must now supplement

his thousand-strong herd’s diet.

Today, he must load up with hay and pellets for them.

But before he can feed his reindeer,

Nils-Matti faces a huge challenge...

he must find them.

Reindeer are always moving in a search for food.

Nils-Matti knows his herd will head into the wind

as they try to find the smell of fresh grazing.

He sets off on his snowmobile towards a valley

where he thinks he will find them.

VASARA: I know this land in detail.

I have not yet applied modern technology.

It is not as reliable as I am.

NARRATOR: The reindeer are just where he predicted.

And they flock to the sound of his snowmobile.

Sami have always relied on reindeer for food,

clothing, and shelter.

Without them, life this far north would have been impossible.

Nils-Matti spreads out the food

to make sure everyone gets their fair share.

And then he scans the landscape for stragglers.

Once he’s happy the entire herd is together,

he unloads the last of the feed.

VASARA: The best place in this world,

it's with the reindeer.

Nothing comes before them.

It’s always been like that, all my life,

and shall remain for as long as I live.

NARRATOR: Winter can last for up to seven months in Finland.

But as its grip loosens,

the landscape transforms from white to blue and green.

Waterways wake from a deep icy slumber

as spring comes to Finland.

(birds chirping)

In the cities of the south,

including Turku, the nation’s oldest;

Tampere, its industrial powerhouse;

and Helsinki, the rapidly-expanding capital,

the warmer weather brings Finns back out onto the streets.

But this presents new challenges.

Helsinki is Finland’s largest city,

home to 1.5 million people.

From above, we can see its urban heart

is clustered on a small peninsula

surrounded by more than 330 islands.

The city’s five main bridges

become pinch points for road traffic heading into the center.

♪♪

The Finns have developed the perfect solution

to help take cars off the streets:

a city-wide tram system.

It is able to carry large numbers of people

around Helsinki like a train,

but still use the city’s narrow streets, just like a bus.

It is Anssi Koponen’s job

to keep all 11 tram lines in perfect working order.

He drives a specially-equipped maintenance vehicle,

affectionately known as the banana tram,

because it’s yellow.

ANSSI KOPONEN: Our maintenance tram is pretty rare.

You can’t find those in many places,

especially in winter.

Those found in Helsinki are unique.

NARRATOR: Anssi sets off,

heading towards the bustling city center.

Street litter can easily get stuck in the sunken rails,

so this ingenious yellow vehicle

is fitted with multiple brushes to its underside.

They sweep any debris, like coins and stones,

that could jam or derail the trams.

From above, Anssi’s challenge looks like a video game

as he times his cleaning runs to dodge people,

cars, and passenger trams.

As Anssi and the banana tram

wind along the narrow streets,

his journey takes him past some of Helsinki’s

most important sites,

including the very heart of today’s nation: Senate Square.

This grand plaza was built for Finland’s

most important institutions

when Helsinki was made its new capital,

and the country was absorbed into the Russian empire in 1809.

Its Neoclassical buildings are home to Helsinki Cathedral,

the National Library, Helsinki University,

and the Government Palace,

from where the Declaration of Independence from Russia

was drafted in 1917.

Anssi reaches the very end of the peninsula,

arriving at Helsinki’s all-important port.

This area, with its colorful early 20th century houses,

is one of the most sought-after places in the city to live.

Anssi must now tackle

the most crucial job on his route,

and clean the most crowded street in the city:

Mannerheimintie.

Seven tram lines converge on this busy road.

Anssi needs to wait for the perfect gap

to dart between the constant flow of city trams.

♪♪

Helsinki’s busiest road

is also home to some of the city’s

most striking modern architecture:

the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art,

this spectacular central public library,

its wave-like exterior made from Finnish spruce;

and the world-famous Olympic stadium,

completed in 1938.

Anssi and his banana tram

successfully dodge the unrelenting passenger trams.

He can finally head back to the depot,

knowing he’s kept this dynamic capital moving.

KOPONEN: It’s a nice feeling.

You know you’ve done your job properly,

and everything on the tracks is working.

It’s nice to drive the tram into the depot, and go home.

NARRATOR: The majority of Finland’s population

live in bustling urban centers,

but many still maintain a connection

to the country’s vast wilderness.

Holiday cabins, known as mökki ,

a tranquil escape from modern life,

dot the rural landscape,

particularly on the shores of the lakes

in the heavily-forested east.

But these lakes aren’t just home to humans,

and spring is the perfect time

to take one of the world’s most important head counts.

From high above, south-eastern Finland

appears punctured by more than 100,000 lakes.

The largest of these is Lake Saimaa.

It’s an extraordinary sinuous maze of water

carved during the last ice age.

The lake is one of the most picturesque landscapes in Finland,

and its waters support a wealth of wildlife,

including one of the world’s most endangered species:

the Lake Saimaa seal.

Today, there are around 400 of these animals

living in the wild.

This makes them one of the rarest seal species in the world.

Jouni Koskela is a conservation scientist

helping to protect them.

JOUNI KOSKELA: If the weather is fine,

we can see one or two seals,

or even five seals at the same evening.

NARRATOR: For most of the year,

the seals live in the open water,

making them near impossible to spot.

But every spring, these animals come out of the water

for a short period to lay in the sun

and molt their winter coats on the shore of this giant lake.

It’s a vital window for Jouni to perform a head count

and to map where the seals hang out.

From high above the lake,

the scale of Jouni’s task becomes clear.

The lake spreads out over 1,000 square kilometers.

That’s around the size of the city of Los Angeles.

And the 400 seals could be anywhere

on the thousands of islands

and rocks that lie scattered like confetti.

It takes an hour of searching

before Jouni spots his first seal,

a grey speck on a rock,

easily unnoticed by the untrained eye.

The seal’s unique markings perfectly camouflage them

on the lake’s lichen-covered rocks.

They’re one of only three seal species

to thrive in fresh water.

KOSKELA: Every time when I see a seal,

it is a very, very nice experience for me,

because most of the time the seal is living in water,

and it cannot be seen.

NARRATOR: Jouni takes down the seal's location

using a GPS tracker.

It’s crucial he records

the seal’s favorite sunbathing locations

to protect the land from future housing developments.

Efforts like this, along with a ban on dangerous fishing gear,

have more than tripled the number of seals

since action was taken in the 1980s.

And conservationists are now seeing

record numbers of new pups being born.

Jouni continues his search,

and over the next five hours, finds two more seals.

It’s slow work,

but Jouni knows how important it is

for the Saimaa seal,

and for the pride of a nation.

KOSKELA: The future of Saimaa seal depends on us,

us Finnish people.

And if we want to save the seal,

then after ten years,

20 years, 50 years, there are even more seals than now.

♪♪

NARRATOR: In Finland’s Arctic north,

the days begin to merge into one.

The sun won't set here for another 60 days.

In the urban south,

Helsinki’s residents flock to the city’s beaches

to make the most of the long-awaited warm weather.

Summer has arrived.

This coastline is not just

a place to relax in the sun.

For centuries, Helsinki’s coastline

has defined Finland’s history.

In the early 1700s,

Sweden ruled the Baltic sea.

But it faced a battle for supremacy

from an expanding Russian fleet.

Swedish-held Helsinki, sandwiched between the two,

was a key military target for Russia.

♪♪

This is Suomenlinna,

an island fortress built by the Swedes in 1748

to guard against the Russian Navy.

From above, we can see its defenses are vast,

and stretch over six interconnected islands.

The unusual star-shaped fortifications

gave the cannons unrestricted range

to protect the access straight into Helsinki’s sheltered bay.

Today, it is a leading tourist attraction in the city.

But there’s one part of this remarkable structure

that’s still in use:

its dry dock.

This gigantic ship repair yard

is one of the oldest in Europe still in operation.

It’s a misty morning in the first week of summer,

and temperatures are still below ten degrees.

For Jouni Wirta, it’s a big day.

He and his team have been working all winter

to restore 16 vessels here.

Now it’s time to flood the dock

and launch the repaired ships into Helsinki Harbor

for the first time this year.

JOUNI WIRTA: It’s kind of us

starting off the sailing season,

so it’s also our time to celebrate.

(Jouni Wirta speaking other language)

NARRATOR: Everything in this 250-year-old dock

must be operated by hand.

Jouni and two volunteers use brute force

to turn the wheels that open each valve,

flooding the historic dock

with thousands of tons of sea water.

♪♪

It takes three hours

until the first of the 16 boats begin to float.

The dock is a hive of activity as Jouni and his team

make final preparations to launch the ships

onto the open sea.

Workers race to crane masts into place.

And with our unique aerial view,

we can see the heights the team must scale

to secure the huge sails.

WIRTA: The rigging is the most important part of the ship.

And so of course it is a nice thing to see the mast go on,

and to put on the sails, and the oars, and it moves.

NARRATOR: All the boats are ready,

but Jouni still has one more job to do.

His strongest volunteers must pull the monster

100-ton dock gate to one side.

The first of the boats can now sail

past Suomenlinna’s fortifications,

a sight unchanged for 250 years.

For Jouni and his team,

it’s time to celebrate in traditional Finnish style.

WIRTA: When all this work is done,

we normally go to one of the ships that has a sauna.

We go and have a sauna, maybe a couple beers.

NARRATOR: Finland’s enthusiasm for saunas

goes back centuries.

The earliest records of fire-heated rooms here

date back to the 12th century.

Now there are over three million saunas in Finland,

at least one for every two people.

Today, the city dwellers of Helsinki

have the option to use a unique waterfront sauna,

and it could be the most unusual one ever built.

This is the incredible Helsinki Sky Sauna.

This may look like a regular Ferris wheel,

but from above we can see one gondola looks different.

It has been converted into a fully-functioning sauna.

It hoists red-hot guests

40 meters into the air,

for unparalleled views across the city.

It’s Katri Kahonen’s job to look after this unique structure,

and ensure its guests enjoy a traditional Finnish experience.

Each morning, before the wheel opens for business,

she checks the mechanism is free of defects,

and replaces anything that looks worn.

It’s ten o’clock, and with her maintenance work finished,

it’s time to open the wheel.

Matilda, Upi, and Linnea

are here for their first high-flying sauna experience.

Katri ensures they are all set for takeoff.

SAUNA GUEST 1: Usually we think that the sauna

is supposed to be on the ground,

because, of course, you need a fire.

And as traditional Finns, you also need wood,

which is found on the ground.

(speaking other language)

But now suddenly we were, I don't know,

30, 40 meters up in the air,

uh, so pretty... pretty unique.

NARRATOR: It’s a crazy concept

that’s proving popular,

and is an engineering challenge to pull off.

The engineers aren’t able to run a cable

directly to the power-hungry sauna.

It would soon get tangled up.

Instead, a power line

runs directly to a specially-designed axle.

From there, a cable can run up a spoke to the outer ring,

where another smaller axle allows electricity

to reach the sauna.

This ingenious design allows them to create

a one-of-a-kind sauna in the sky.

KATRI KAHONEN: The sauna is a part of our culture,

and us Finnish people tend to be quite shy.

But when we go to the sauna,

it’s like we are there naked with random people,

so it’s a lot of fun.

NARRATOR: As the summer rolls on,

the days stretch longer in Finland’s vast wooded interior.

Seventy-two perfect of Finland is covered by forest,

more than any other nation in Europe.

It’s a vital industry for the country,

with timber accounting for twenty percent of all exports,

and is used in everything, from construction,

to the paper for magazines and newspapers.

From above, central Finland appears a striking green

because of its large forests.

But getting harvested timber from remote depots

to the saw mills and paper factories

is a huge logistical challenge.

The Finns have developed an ingenious way

to haul this precious national resource.

Essa Korhonen supervises

a vast operation that harnesses

the power of Finland’s extensive network of waterways.

He oversees the creation of giant log rafts

that float sustainable timber

from over a million hectares of forest

to saw mills on the shores of Lake Saimaa.

ESA KORHONEN: I must admit that the apple

has not fallen far from the tree.

My father worked in forestry.

It was in my mind even when I was just a young boy.

NARRATOR: Today, Esa has a huge job on his hands.

He has to build a 12,000-ton secure raft

to safely float 270 kilometers

through the winding lake.

The giant cargo must survive everything

Finland’s weather and landscapes throw at it

to prevent holding up the saw mill’s operations.

KORHONEN: There are many risks.

The rafts contain hundreds of truck loads of timber,

with a total value of millions.

NARRATOR: The construction of a raft

is an intricate operation.

A log loader lifts out the first huge bundle of logs

from the truck,

and carefully drops them into the water.

The tug boat captain skillfully guides

the smaller bundles into place at full throttle.

Now it’s time for Esa’s team of log walkers

to use steel cables to tie the logs together.

These highly-trained workers must be careful

to ensure the raft won’t break up on its voyage,

potentially causing havoc on the busy inland waterways.

♪♪

KORHONEN: The Finnish forest industry

was born on the shores of Lake Saimaa,

because Saimaa has provided great transport conditions,

and continues to offer them.

We want to use these conditions to our advantage

while respecting nature.

NARRATOR: Esa’s gigantic mega-raft

is finally on the move.

Our unique aerial view

captures the enormous size of this mighty structure

that stretches for almost a kilometer.

It's built from 52,000 trees

tied together in 700 bundles.

Over the next six days,

Esa’s team will work day and night,

driving this timber along these waterways,

dropping bundles off at saw mills along the route.

Despite the rising demand for its timber,

Finland's careful management

means that its forests are currently expanding,

and shuttling logs this way,

rather than using trains and lorries, cuts emissions,

and continues the industry’s drive for sustainability.

KORHONEN: I have worked for about 25 years,

and I believe that timber floating

has an important part to play in the future.

NARRATOR: The long summer days are almost over.

Soon the nights will draw in,

and the temperatures will drop.

In northern Finland,

the first snow and ice begins to appear.

Further south,

the colder weather transforms Finland’s deciduous forests

to a patchwork of red and gold.

Autumn is here.

♪♪

Of all Finland’s vast and varied landscapes,

perhaps the most spectacular is situated at its southern tip.

Finland’s south-western corner appears to crumble

into the Baltic sea in a series of large islands.

A closer look reveals something extraordinary.

Vast groups of smaller islands lie between the bigger ones,

and hiding between them, yet more islands,

tightly-packed like pebbles on a beach.

Together, they are thought to be among the biggest collection

of islands in the world,

the Archipelago Sea.

Finland’s Archipelago Sea is a natural habitat

without equal in the world.

Some of the islands are large and forested,

others treeless.

But all offer a bountiful array of habitats

for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife to thrive.

Marine biologist Katja Makinen

lives and works in this spectacular landscape.

KATJA MAKINEN: I’ve always lived near the sea.

For me, like, living close to nature

and being close to nature is really important.

So what could be a better place for it than this place?

NARRATOR: In early autumn, Katja,

along with her colleagues

at the Archipelago Research Institute,

turn their attention to an astonishing phenomenon

that turns the water surrounding the islands

into a kaleidoscope of color.

From high above the clouds,

the dark blue Baltic waters

transform into a series of turquoise swirls.

Tendrils of color wrap around the islands like candy floss,

and even appear to link the islands together.

The swirls are vast blooms of algae,

a microscopic plant that suddenly appears in huge numbers

when the sea is warm and calm.

They are caused by fertilizer run-off

from the surrounding farmland.

For Katja, they’re an unwelcome sight.

MAKINEN: It causes overgrowth of algae

which then can lead to these, like, nuisance algal blooms.

NARRATOR: When the blooms die off in autumn,

they can harm marine life around them.

So today, Katja collects samples to investigate

what impact this year’s blooms have left behind.

The health of Finland’s Archipelago

is a prize worth fighting for.

It's home to a unique wildlife,

found nowhere else in Finland.

Katja and the team are finished for today.

The team’s work is raising awareness of the algal blooms

in an attempt to stop this colorful problem

from getting worse.

MAKINEN: It’s been really good to see

that these efforts have had a positive impact

for the health of the sea.

But there’s still a lot more work to be done.

♪♪

NARRATOR: Almost 1,000 kilometers away

in Lapland,

sub-zero temperatures have the landscape

in an icy grasp.

This expansive region has once again

turned almost uniformly white.

But look closer,

and a strange pattern emerges:

an assortment of straits and curves.

This is the world’s largest test center for winter tires.

Its 30 tracks are known as the White Hell.

Nokian Tyres established this giant test location

to continue their attempt to perfect the winter tire,

an innovation they created in 1934

using a special reinforced tread

that gripped into loose slow.

Petri Paananen is one of the circuit’s

highly-trained test drivers.

He’s part of a team investigating how to reinvent

this 80-year-old concept

to meet the challenge of a rapidly-changing world.

Electric car sales are rapidly increasing across Europe,

with some projecting they will account for

a hundred percent of car sales in 15 years.

PETRI PAANANEN: Electric cars is quite

a big challenge for the tire manufacturers.

Usually they are a bit more heavier

compared to the combustion engine car,

because of those heavy battery cells.

And also, with the electronic motors,

you get instant power.

It’s very demanding for the tire.

♪♪

NARRATOR: The extra weight of electric cars

creates increased momentum when cornering.

Along with high-powered motors,

they easily skid and slide around snow-covered corners

on conventional winter tires.

PAANANEN: When tire is not performing well

on the snow and the ice,

you can easily feel it’s over-steering too much.

You don’t feel safe.

NARRATOR: It’s Petri’s job to test

the engineer’s latest designs

to overcome these issues

on White Hell’s toughest tracks.

PAANANEN: The human touch

is very important in my job,

because there is no sense or what can measure

when you go edge of the grip limit.

♪♪

NARRATOR: On the winding track,

the new tires hold the heavy car

around the corners, despite Petri driving faster.

PAANANEN: It’s very important to find

the right tires for the people

who is living here in these conditions in Finland,

so that they can survive the different things

what Mother Nature brings down.

NARRATOR: Petri and his team hope

the hours spent on the center’s tracks

will help electric cars conquer even the toughest environments.

♪♪

Finland is a land of extremes

and raw beauty on the frontier of Europe.

The people who live here have successfully adapted

to life in the far north.

Their passion for new technology

while preserving this wilderness, and ancient traditions,

makes Finland one of the most innovative nations

in the world today.