Helsinki
Helsinki (Finnish) or Helsingfors (Swedish) is the capital of Finland. Founded in 1550, the “Daughter of the Baltic” has been the Finnish capital since 1812, when it was rebuilt by the tsars of Russia along the lines of a miniature St. Petersburg, a role it has played in many a Cold War movie. Today, Helsinki pulls off the trick of being something of an international metropolis while still retaining a small-town feel. The best time to visit is in summer, when Finns peel off their overcoats and flock to outdoor bars and cafes to enjoy the sunshine.
Helsinki’s current population is about 575,000, but the Helsinki region including the neighboring suburban cities of Espoo and Vantaa has a population of over one million. The Greater Helsinki area contains 12 municipalities and has a population of over 1,300,000.
Helsinki’s symbol, the Lutheran Cathedral (Tuomiokirkko)
History
Helsinki was founded in A.D. 1550 by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden as a trading post to compete with Tallinn to the south in Estonia, which was Danish at that time. In 1809, Finland was annexed by Russia during a war of that period and the capital of Finland moved from Turku to Helsinki in 1812. The Czar felt the Grand Duchy of Finland needed a capital of grand proportions. The architects Johan Albrecht Ehrenström, a native Finn, and Carl Ludwig Engel, from Germany, were given the task of rebuilding the city in the Empire style. This can be seen today around the Lutheran Cathedral, which was completed in 1852. The same style, and even architects, is also a part of St. Petersburg’s history; Helsinki has been used as a politically friendly set to represent St. Petersburg in American movies.
