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A heavy, squat, white stone building, this church wins no awards for architectural innovation, but it's among the oldest and largest in Finland, with parts dating back to the 11th century. Predating the Reformation, it was built as a Catholic church, but was somewhat crudely converted into a Protestant one later on by removing icons and painting over murals. The building burned four times between 1300 and 1700, and took a direct hit from a bomb in 1914 – miraculously, the bomb fell through the roof, but did not explode. The roof was burned by an arsonist in 2006, but the damage was repaired and it's now open again, with some of the Catholic-era murals restored in the process. The diocese of Porvoo comprises the Swedish-speaking parishes of Finland.
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Porvoon museo
History and art museum in the heart of the Old Town, housed in the former City Hall (1760). The Diet of Porvoo – where the Russian emperor promised to let Finland keep its Swedish law, language and religion under Russian rule – was held here, and today it showcases artefacts from peasant life and a collection of old photographs.
Lelumuseo
Contains over 1000 dolls and hundreds of toys dating from 1800 to 1990. Open from June 1st to August 10th only.
Porvoon linnamäki
A historic hilly area right next to the Old Town. Iso Linnamäki ("Big Hillfort") is known as the largest ancient hillfort in Finland, which has been in use from 8th century to the 14th century. Pikkulinnamäki ("Little Hillfort") is an Iron Age cemetery area from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD. The area is protected under the Antiquities Act.
Porvoon vesitorni
Porvoon vanha rautatieasema
A historical landmark.
Johannes Linnankosken patsas
The memorial statue of Johannes Linnankoski (1869–1913), one of the famous authors of Finland, best known for his 1905 novel The Song of the Blood-Red Flower.