Finland suffered great hardship during the World War II, and the post-war reconstruction effort was not completed until the 1950s. With the burgeoning growth of the city in the 1950s and 1960s, the focus of new building shifted to the suburbs. Tapiola Garden City was built among pristine forests and meadows in Espoo, west of […]

Nouveau ideas Helsinki’s architecture offers many examples of turn of the century Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) and the classicism that followed. These styles can be studied in numerous public buildings. The National Museum, the National Theatre, and Eliel Saarinen’s Central Railway Station are some of the landmarks of this period. Of the original interiors that still […]

The hectic construction that took place in the closing decades of the nineteenth century is evident nearly everywhere in central Helsinki. Four- and five-storey commercial buildings and residential blocks were erected on Pohjoisesplanadi, Bulevardi, and Erottaja, designed in a style that emulated the architecture of Vienna and Berlin. The so-called period of Eclecticism produced many […]

Finland was part of the Swedish empire until the early nineteenth century. Helsinki was founded in 1550 by King Gustavus I Wasa at the mouth of the River Vanda, to compete with the Hanseatic port of Tallinn across the Baltic, and to boost trade with Russia. In 1640, the town was shifted close to the […]

What does Helsinki have to offer visitors interested in architecture? Both architecturally and culturally, Helsinki is an idiosyncratic mix of eastern and western influence. The main theatres, museums, and concert halls are all centrally located, and many public and commercial buildings manifest outstanding architectural quality. HELSINKI IS YOUNGER and smaller than most of the other […]

Throughout Helsinki, you can find outstanding examples of a range of architectural styles from different eras. National Romanticism For instance, the Jugendstil architectural style is showcased beautifully in Helsinki if you know where to look. The romanticism of the art nouveau Jugendstil theme is expressed in the turrets, rural motifs and quirky granite detail of […]

Finland’s Centenary Year 2017 is a major milestone for Finland as the country marks 100 years of independence. The year is celebrated through an extensive and varied programme. FINLAND BECAME INDEPENDENT on 6 December 1917 when it rejected its status as an autonomous Grand Duchy of Russia, which it had been since 1809. Before that, the area […]