HELSINKI - St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn - page 133

The Three Blacksmiths Statue: Turn right on Mannerheimintie and at the far side
of Stockmann, you'll see the famous Three Blacksmiths (from 1932). While there's no
universally accepted meaning, most say it celebrates human labor and cooperation and
shows the solid character of the Finnish people. Note the rare, surviving bullet damage
from World War II on the base. The most serious Russian shelling came in February of
1944. Overall, Helsinki emerged from the war with little damage.
Two Men Who Remade Helsinki
Eliel Saarinen (1873-1950)
At the turn of the 20th century, architect Eliel Saarinen burst on the scene by pi-
oneering the Finnish National Romantic style. Inspired by peasant and medieval ar-
chitectural traditions, his work was fundamental in creating a distinct—and mod-
ern—Finnish identity. The château-esque National Museum of Finland, designed by
Saarinen and his two partners after winning a 1902 architectural competition, was his
first major success (see here ) .
Two years later, Saarinen won the contract to construct the Helsinki train station
(completed in 1919). Its design marks a transition into the Art Nouveau style of the