Raahe is a
town and
municipality of
Finland. Founded by Swedish statesman and Governor General of Finland Count
Per Brahe the younger in 1649, it is one of 10 historic wooden towns (or town centers) remaining in Finland. Examples of other Finnish historic wooden towns are
Kaskinen (Kaskö),
Old Rauma,
Porvoo (Borgå),
Jakobstad (Pietarsaari), and
Vaasa (Vasa). After a devastating fire in 1810, Raahe was rebuilt adhering to new design principles which minimized the risk of fire and enlarged some civic spaces. Old Raahe is noted for its Renaissance-inspired rectilinear town plan featuring an unusual central-square (called Pekkatori) with closed corners.