Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Helsinki
Helsinki is the only European capital with no medieval past. Although it was founded in the
16th century by the Swedes in hopes of countering Tallinn as a strategic Baltic port, it never
amounted to more than a village until the 18th century. Then, in 1746, Sweden built a huge
fortress on an island outside its harbor, and the village boomed as it supplied the fortress.
After taking over Finland in 1809, the Russians decided to move Finland's capital and uni-
versity closer to St. Petersburg—from Turku to Helsinki. They hired a young German archi-
tect, Carl Ludvig Engel, to design new public buildings for Helsinki and told him to use St.
Petersburg as a model. This is why the oldest parts of Helsinki (around Market Square and
Senate Square) feel so Russian—stone buildings in yellow and blue pastels with white trim
and columns. Hollywood used Helsinki for the films
Gorky Park
and
Dr. Zhivago,
because
filming in Russia was not possible during the Cold War.
Though the city was part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, most of its residents
still spoke Swedish, which was the language of business and culture. In the mid-1800s, Fin-
land began to industrialize. The Swedish upper class in Helsinki expanded the city, bringing
in the railroad and surrounding the old Russian-inspired core with neighborhoods of four-
and five-story apartment buildings, including some Art Nouveau masterpieces. Meanwhile,
Finns moved from the countryside to Helsinki to take jobs as industrial laborers. The Fin-
nish language slowly acquired equal status with Swedish, and eventually Finnish speakers
became the majority in Helsinki (though Swedish remains a co-official language).
Since downtown Helsinki didn't exist until the 1800s, it was more conscientiously de-
signed and laid out than other European capitals. With its many architectural overleafs and
fine Neoclassical and Art Nouveau buildings, Helsinki often turns guests into students of
urban design and planning. Good neighborhoods for architecture buffs to explore are Kata-
janokka, Kruununhaka, and Eira. If you're intrigued by what you see, look for the English-
language guide to Helsinki architecture (by Arvi Ilonen) in bookstores.
All of this makes Helsinki sound like a very dry place. It's not. Despite its sometimes
severe cityscape and chilly northern latitude, the city bursts with vibrant street life and a joy-
ful creative spirit. In 2012, Helsinki celebrated its stint as a “World Design Capital,” seizing
the opportunity to spiff up the city with exciting new projects—including the new Helsinki
Music Center concert hall, an extensive underground bike tunnel that cuts efficiently be-
neath congested downtown streets, and an all-around rededication to its already impressive
design. While parts of the city may seem dark and drab, splashes of creativity and color hide
around every corner—but you'll only discover them if you take the time to look.
Planning Your Time
On a three-week trip through Scandinavia, Helsinki is worth at least the time between two
successive nights on the cruise ship—about seven hours. To do the city justice, two days is
ideal. (Wear layers; Helsinki can be windy and cold.)
For a quick one-day visit, start with the 1.75-hour orientation bus tour that meets the
boat at the dock. Then take my self-guided walking tour through the compact city center
from the harbor—enjoying Helsinki's ruddy harborfront market and getting goose bumps in
