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About Helsinki |
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Helsinki is the capital of the Republic of Finland, a modern city
with a population of over 500,000, The city is situated on a peninsula
and several islands in the Baltic. At the begining of the new millennium,
Helsinki celebrated its own 450th anniversary and nominated as a city
for culture in Europe
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The Birth of Helsinki |
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Helsinki was founded by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden (which Finland
belonged to for many centuries) as a trading post in southern Finland
and a competitor to Estonia's city of Tallinn on the opposite shore
of the Gulf of Finland. He ordered the burghers of Rauma, Ulvila,
Porvoo and Tammisaari to move to Helsinkion 12.6.1550, is regarded
as the date on which Helsinki was founded.
The growth of Helsinki was slow, due to the medieval trading traditions.
Helsinki was nevertheless a strategic military centre for the country
through the wars in Russia, Germany and the Baltic.
The site the town was situated at, on the mouth of the River Vantaa
proved unsuitable, and in 1640 it was moved further south to the Vironniemi
headland, now known as Kruununhaka near the city centre.
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Travelling around Helsinki |
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Metro
Helsinki offer a full range of services underground in the centre.
It is useful to know the large network of tunnels and underground
shopping arcades in the centre of Helsinki when the weather above
ground is wet or cold. Through these tunnels you can reach department
stores, restaurants, pharmacies, food stores, banks, clothes shops
and many other retail outlets. There are even street vendors offering
produce and musicians to amuse you.
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What to see and do in Helsinki |
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Eating
Ayone looking for somewhere to eat in Helsinki are spoiled for choice.
International tastes have become part of the Finnish culinary culture,
which in itself is keenly attuned to the possibilities and demands
of the seasons. You will find more than 600 restaurants in the city.
There are fine restaurants for an evening meal and others whose specialities
are seafood, steaks or vegetarian meals. You could also go to an artists'
haunt or try some delicious ethnic food.
Shopping
The best place to shop is in the Helsinki's city centre, where all
the big department stores and the most fashionable shops are to be
found. Aleksanterikatu, Mannerheimintie and Esplanadi are the main
shopping streets.
Shops in the city are well-stocked with high-quality goods: leather
garments and articles, glassware, knitwear, leisurewear, interior
decoration articles, consumer electronics, charming design products,
jewellery, antiques and art. If you live outside the EU, take advantage
of tax-free.
iYou will find many of the most famous Finnish design brands, such
as Marimekko, Karvinen, Palmroth, Arabia and Artek in Esplanadi .
Naturally, you will find every conceivable international brand as
well. Another street worth walking from end to end if you thirst for
fashion is Fredrikinkatu.
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Culture in Helsinki |
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Theatre
is the home of the National Theatre, the City Theatre and Svenska Teatern, which puts on plays in Finland's other official language. There are also a lot of smaller theatres, in addition to the Theatre Academy of Finland.
Museums
The history of Helsinki, with all its bright and gloomy moments can be found at the City Museum. The Museum with its eight separate outlying sites present many aspects of the city's culture, past and present, material and immaterial. Changing exhibitions are an important part of its work.
Tuomarinkylä Museum
was originally a stately manor and has been lovingly restored to its
original late 18th-century format.
The Tram Museum
Is found housed in a depot built in the beginning of the century,
presents the history of rail-borne public transport in Helsinki from
the early days when horses did the pulling to today's high-tech vehicles
The Sederholm and Burgher's houses
Are the oldest stone building in the inner city stands on the corner
of the Senate Square and is now a museum that shows how its original
owner, the merchant Johan Sederholm, lived in the 18th century.
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Things to do in Helsinki |
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Short cruise
Silja Line and the Viking Line's luxurious ferries provide transport
on the busy route between Helsinki and Stockholm. They leave every
evening and arrive in Stockholm the next morning. The return trip
starts on the evening of the same day and the ferry reaches Helsinki
the following morning. Thus a typical round trip lasts about 36 hours,
with two nights on board and a whole day in Stockholm for shopping
or sightseeing.
Art Galleries
Helsinki's art culture has an abundance of good art galleries. They take a very fresh-minded approach to all kinds of art, no matter how old or contemporary.
There are so many works of art to chhose from, just waiting for a place to hang and a new owner to be with. Somewhere there is one just for you. It could be that you will know it at first sight.
Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens in Kaisaniemi resemble a huge glass castle filled with flowers. A fountain gushes and canaries twitter. Once during the summer the Queen of the Night will blossom from dusk to dawn.
Walking around gardens and grenhouses is always a relaxing pleasure, especially when they contain all kinds of exotic plants.
Festivals
You will find three weeks in August and September, Helsinki becomes the scene of a dazzling array of the arts.
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