Sapokka Water Garden, Kotka

Apart from a small-boat harbour, Sapokka is also an old sea bay refurbished into a charming park area. The dominant element of the park is water: there is the sea of course, but water also flows in small brooks and ponds and in a waterfall on the south bank of the park, nearly 20 metres in height.

The park bursts into flower in the spring and continues its display of colour late in the autumn. As the evenings grow darker, the extraordinary lighting of Sapokka really stands out. The park has utilised stone in many shapes, and climbing on top of the waterfall also reveals an area where Finnish stones are on display.

Sapokka Water Garden has received more accolades than any other park in Finland: it has been awarded the Best National Stone Structure (1996), the Environmental Structure of the Year (1994) and the Best Outdoor Lighting Structure (1993).

©Pauliina_Flam