'The Stone That Returned Home' - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

'The Stone That Returned Home'

Mariehamn, Finland

One man's journey to return a stone to its point of origin after 200,000 years. 

'The Stone That Returned Home' View all photos
'The Stone That Returned Home' warwickwandering (Atlas Obscura User)
'The Stone That Returned Home'
'The Stone That Returned Home' warwickwandering (Atlas Obscura User)
'The Stone That Returned Home'
'The Stone That Returned Home' warwickwandering (Atlas Obscura User)
'The Stone That Returned Home'
'The Stone That Returned Home' warwickwandering (Atlas Obscura User)
4
25
Top Places in Finland
Neat mineral display
Helsinki University Museum
Helsinki, Finland
Götan Maailma
Helsinki, Finland
Salla Reindeer Park
Salla, Finland
 See All
This entry is a stub
Help improve Atlas Obscura by expanding 'The Stone That Returned Home' with additional information or photos.

The result of one man’s quest to return a rock deposited in the Netherlands back to its rightful home in the Åland Islands after many millennia. This stone is easily accessible on the waterfront in Mariehamn (though the ice can be pretty treacherous around it in winter).

The Stone That Returned Home is a project by Dutch artist Bart Eysink Smeets. After he learned that geologists could pinpoint where the boulders strewn about the Netherlands by ancient glaciers had originally come from, he resolved to bring one back. 

Know Before You Go

The Åland Islands themselves are pretty interesting and a geopolitical anomaly and quirk, almost as odd as this rock.


A Swedish speaking autonomous part of Finland, the Åland Islands have their own parliament, stamps and car number plates.

glaciers stone art outside rocks
Nearby
Märket Lighthouse
31.43 miles
Hermas Homestead Museum
32.71 miles
Den Optiska Telegrafen (The Optical Telegraph)
39.11 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
Hammarland, Finland

Märket Lighthouse

A long-disputed lighthouse built on the wrong side of a Finnish/Swedish island.
Enklinge, Finland

Hermas Homestead Museum

This archipelago homestead-turned-museum has remained the same since its last resident, born in 1897, died in 1973.
Den Optiska Telegrafen (The Optical Telegraph)
Stockholm, Sweden

Den Optiska Telegrafen (The Optical Telegraph)

The fastest way to send a message before electricity was invented.
Rödlöga has served as Sweden's bokbåten since 2016.
Stockholm, Sweden

Bokbåten

Twice a year, this floating library delivers thousands of books to the remote islands of Stockholm’s archipelago.
Related Places
Winnekenni Castle
Haverhill, Massachusetts

Winnekenni Castle

It was an experiment to prove that glacial boulders and rocks can be used in constructions and dwelling.
Potsdam, Germany

Tip of Mount Kilimanjaro

A stone from Africa's tallest peak is immortalized in a Potsdam palace—but is it actually the mountaintop?
Sudbury, Massachusetts

Sudbury Grinding Stone

Once an integral part of Native American life, very few of these communal New England stones have survived to the present day.
Brady's Rocks are the southernmost surface exposure of the massive Niagara Escarpment.
Eagle, Wisconsin

Brady's Rocks

These modest Midwestern formations are kin to Niagara Falls' impressive cliffs, more than 600 miles away.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web