Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Hisham’s Palace
Cresson Sanatorium and Prison
Leo The Lion
Deception Pass Bridge
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The cute capybara.
Animal Takeover: Brace Yourself for Adorable Hordes
The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Finland Vitträsk Rock Paintings

Vitträsk Rock Paintings

These lakeside pictographs were some of the first pieces of prehistoric artwork found in Finland.

Kirkkonummi, Finland

Added By
vinskiratalahti
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Add Photos
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

The first ancient rock paintings discovered in Finland were found in 1911 by none other than the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Situated in a beautiful cliffside spot, the composer stumbled upon them while visiting the nearby home of Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen.

The prehistoric art decorates a stone ledge about 16 meters above the waves of Lake Vitträsk. When the paintings were first made, they would have been closer to the water, but due to glacial rebound over millennia, the ground has risen several meters higher above the lake.

Like many other pieces of prehistoric rock art in Finland, the markings are reddish-brown in color and feature symbols and figures of people and animals.

Related Tags

Pictograms Lakes Archaeology Cave Paintings Prehistoric

Community Contributors

Added By

vinskiratalahti

Published

October 18, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Vitträsk Rock Paintings
Rauhalantie 42
Kirkkonummi, 02440
Finland
60.185267, 24.521894
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Villa Mehu

Kirkkonumm, Finland

miles away

Högberget Cave

Finland

miles away

Lake Bodom

Espoo, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Finland

Finland

Europe

Places 87
Stories 11

Nearby Places

Villa Mehu

Kirkkonumm, Finland

miles away

Högberget Cave

Finland

miles away

Lake Bodom

Espoo, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Finland

Finland

Europe

Places 87
Stories 11

Related Places

  • Ha Baroana

    Metolong, Lesotho

    Ha Baroana Cave Paintings

    The walls of this sandstone outcropping are covered with 2,000-year-old artwork.

  • The injured woolly mammoth rock painting.

    Pimiango, Spain

    El Pindal Cave

    These primitive rock paintings include a very beloved depiction of a woolly mammoth.

  • Ancient Indian pictographs at Fate Bell rock shelter in Seminole Canyon.

    Comstock, Texas

    Seminole Canyon

    Beauty and history abound in this remote West Texas canyon.

  • The rock paintings seen on the 1000 Ugandan shilling note.

    Kumi, Uganda

    Nyero Rock Paintings

    Six rock shelters covered in abstract art created by ancient Ugandan tribes.

  • Tende, France

    Valley of Wonders

    Tens of thousands of ancient rock carvings hidden in the heart of a French national park.

  • Replica of the horse panel of the Chauvet Cave.

    Asturias, Spain

    Teverga Prehistoric Park

    See replicas of Europe's most famous cave paintings and even some of the animals that feature in the art.

  • Prehistoric painting of horses at Tito Bustillo cave.

    Ribadesella, Spain

    Tito Bustillo Cave

    A magnificent place to see authentic paleolithic cave paintings that are an astounding 33,000 years old.

  • The paintings from a distance.

    Torslanda, Sweden

    Tumlehed Rock Paintings

    Sweden's southernmost prehistoric rock art is hidden just outside Gothenburg.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.