Helsinki

Helsingin kaupunki – Helsingfors stad City of Helsinki
120px Coat of Arms Location
Founded	1550
Country	Finland
Province	Southern Finland
Region	Uusimaa
Sub-region	Helsinki
Area - Of which land - Rank	185.32 km² 184.47 km² ranked 342nd
Population - Density - Change (year) - Rank	564,643 (Oct 31, 2006) 3,060.8 inh./km² + 0.62%(from 2005) ranked 1st
Official languages	Finnish, Swedish
Urbanisation	99.9%
Unemployment	8.9%
City Manager	Jussi Pajunen
Home page	http://www.hel.fi/

Helsinki (in Finnish) is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is located in the southern part of Finland on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 565,000. The Greater Helsinki area contains several more neighboring cities and has a population of approximately 1.29 million, which means that one out of every four Finns lives in the Greater Helsinki area.

Founded in 1550 as a rival to the Hanseatic city of Reval (today: Tallinn) by King Gustav I of Sweden, the town of Helsingfors struggled in its infancy. To help reduce the Swedish influence, Tsar Alexander I of Russia had the capital moved from Turku (also Åbo) to Helsingfors. The Academy of Åbo, the only university in the country, was also relocated to Helsinki in 1827, eventually becoming the University of Helsinki. In the 1918 Finnish Civil War, most of Helsinki fell to the Red Guards along with rest of southern Finland after brief fighting in January. Unlike Tampere, Helsinki suffered relatively little damage in the war. Although the civil war left a considerable mark on the society, the standard of living in the country and the city began to improve in the following decade. In the aerial bombings of the Winter War (1939-40) and the Continuation War (1941-44) Helsinki was attacked by Soviet bombers. Only a few bombs hit populated areas.

Although much of the first half of the twentieth century was a violent period for Helsinki it continued to steadily develop. The late growth has often been attributed for the sparse distribution of population in Helsinki—being the second sparsest populated capital in Europe behind Brussels—making the structure of Helsinki quite different from other capital cities in Europe.

Helsinki is Finland's international gateway. The city is the country's nerve center for business, finance, fashion, medicine, entertainment, media, culture, and intellectual discourse. There is a large and varied collection of museums, galleries, and performance spaces. In 2007, Helsinki was in the spotlight during the Finnish EU presidency, and also hosted the 52nd annual Eurovision Song Contest.

Names and etymology

A view of the Market Square, the white Supreme Court of Finland, the brown Swedish Embassy, the blue Helsinki City Hall, and Helsinki Cathedral in the background. The Kallio church tower is also visible in the background on the far right.

Helsingfors is the original name of the modern city of Helsinki, and is still the official Swedish name for the city. However, the Finnish name, Helsinki (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable: ['helsiŋki]), has been dominant in other languages for decades. The Swedish name Helsingfors comes from the name of the surrounding parish, Helsinge (source for Finnish Helsinki) and the rapids (in Swedish: fors), which flowed through the original town. The name of Helsinge is thought to come, according to folklore, from the Swedish dwellers who came from the Swedish province of Hälsingland. The city is also called Stadi (from the Swedish word stad, meaning city) in the local slang, and Hesa by people who don't live in Helsinki. In some subculture communities, especially among heavy metal fans, the name has recently been humorously misspelled "Hell-sinki". Helsset is the North Sami name of Helsinki.

History

Founded in 1550 as a rival to the Hanseatic city of Reval (today: Tallinn) by King Gustav I of Sweden, the town of Helsingfors struggled in its infancy. The fledging settlement was plagued by poverty, wars, and diseases. For a long time it remained as a small, low-key coastal town, overshadowed by the more thriving trade centers in the Baltic region. Construction of the Sveaborg (today also: Suomenlinna) sea fortress helped to improve its status, but it was not until Russia defeated Sweden in the Finnish War and annexed Finland as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809, that Helsinki began to truly change.

Central Helsinki in 1820 before rebuilding. Drawing by Carl Ludvig Engel.

To help reduce the Swedish influence, Tsar Alexander I of Russia had the capital moved from Turku (also Åbo) to Helsingfors. The Academy of Åbo, the only university in the country, was also relocated to Helsinki in 1827, eventually becoming the University of Helsinki. This move consolidated the city's new role and the following decades saw unprecedented growth and development for the city, creating the prerequisites for the birth of a modern world-class capital in the twentieth century. This transformation is highly apparent in the downtown core, which was rebuilt in neoclassical style to resemble St. Petersburg. As elsewhere, technological advancements such as railroads and industrialization were a key factor behind the growth.

In the 1918 Finnish Civil War, most of Helsinki fell to the Red Guards along with rest of southern Finland after brief fighting in January. The Senate was relocated to Vaasa, although some senators and officials remained hiding in the capital. After the tide of war turned against the Red forces, German troops fighting on the same side with the Finnish White Guard recaptured Helsinki in April. Unlike Tampere, Helsinki suffered relatively little damage in the war. After the White victory many former Red soldiers and collaborators were confined in prison camps across the country. The largest, having approximately 13,300 prisoners, was located on the former naval fortress island of Suomenlinna in Helsinki. Although the civil war left a considerable mark on the society, the standard of living in the country and the city began to improve in the following decade. Renowned architects such as Eliel Saarinen created utopian plans for Helsinki, but they were never realized in their full extent.

In the aerial bombings of the Winter War (1939-40) and the Continuation War (1941-44) Helsinki was attacked by Soviet bombers. Most intense air raids took place in the spring of 1944, when over 2,000 Soviet planes dropped over 16,000 bombs in and around the city. However, due to successful air defense the city was spared from the large-scale destruction that many other cities in Europe under similar scale bombings had suffered. Only a few bombs hit populated areas.

Although much of the first half of the twentieth century was a violent period for Helsinki it continued to steadily develop. Modern postwar urbanization of the 1970s, which occurred relatively late in the European context, tripled the population in the metropolitan area, making the Helsinki metropolitan area one of the fastest growing urban centers in the European Union in the 1990s. The late growth has often been attributed for the sparse distribution of population in Helsinki—being the second sparsest populated capital in Europe behind Brussels—making the structure of Helsinki quite different from other capital cities in Europe.

Economy

File:Helsinki Pohjoisranta.jpg

Pohjoisranta (The Northern Shore) at Night. On the left, Uspenski Cathedral. The twin towers of St. John's Church and the dome of Helsinki Cathedral are also visible.

The economy of Helsinki is primarily service-based, having gradually moved away from heavy industry. Although, it does have strong paper, textiles, and shipbuilding industries. Most large Finnish companies have their head offices and other important functions in the Helsinki metropolitan area, primarily due to international connections, logistics network, and workforce availability. It is also the often-favored choice as a location for regional headquarters of international companies operating in the country. Information technology and financing sectors form the backbone of Helsinki's economy.

Helsinki metropolitan area contributes approximately one third of the Finnish gross domestic product. Its GDP per capita is 1.5 times higher than the national average, making Helsinki one of wealthiest capitals in Europe. In 2004, the growth in the region was 3.2 percent. Growth predictions reflect a positive outlook on the future.

Helsinki is also known for being unique in the way that, for a city its size, there is no part of the town that could be deemed as "slum", or explicitly inhabited by the poor. However, there is a growing social inequality in the city and experts have recently warned about the dangers of increasing social problems. Successful integration of foreign immigrants into the society, infrastructure development, production of public services, and insufficient cooperation between the municipalities of Helsinki conurbation area are seen as major future challenges for the economic development of the region.

Helsinki is also the home for the Helsinki Stock Exchange, owned by the OMX corporation.

Services

Education

Helsinki has 190 comprehensive schools, 41 upper secondary schools, and 15 vocational institutes. Half of the 41 upper secondary schools are private or state-owned, the other half municipal. Higher level education is given in eight universities.

Main building of the University of Helsinki.

Institutions of higher education include universities: the University of Helsinki,Helsinki University of Technology (actually located in Espoo), Helsinki School of Economics, Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Academy of Fine Arts, Sibelius Academy, Theatre Academy, University of Art and Design Helsinki, and the National Defence College (Finland) (not technically considered a University, mainly due to administrative reasons); and polytechnic institutes, including: the Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia, Helsinki Polytechnic Arcada, and Helsinki Business Polytechnic (Helia).

Public transport

A Helsinki metro train crossing the Vuosaari metro bridge.

Public transportation is generally a hotly debated subject in the local politics of Helsinki. The sparse population of the city has made it one of the most car-dependent major cities in Europe, which is something the growing city might see as a major problem and constraint in the future. Further development of the public transportation system is a general consensus, but according to studies other means to lower the use of private cars are probably also needed in the future.

In Helsinki, public transportation is mostly managed under Helsinki City Transport, the city's transportation authority. The diverse public transport system consists of trams, light commuter rail, the subway, bus lines, and two ferry lines. The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council manages traffic to the surrounding municipalities of Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen.

Today, Helsinki is the only city in Finland to have trams or subway trains. There used to be two other cities in Finland with trams: Turku and Viipuri (Vyborg), but both have since abandoned trams. The Helsinki Metro, opened in the 1982, is so far the only subway system in Finland. In 2006, the construction of the long debated extension of the subway system west into Espoo was approved, and serious debate about an eastern extension into Sipoo has taken place.

M/S Silja Symphony leaving from Helsinki.

Air traffic is handled primarily from the international Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, located approximately 11.8 miles north of Helsinki's downtown area, in the neighboring city of Vantaa. The airport provides scheduled non-stop flights to many important cities in Europe, Asia, and North America. Helsinki's second airport, Malmi Airport, is generally used for general and private aviation.

Ferry connections to Tallinn and Stockholm are serviced by various companies. Finnlines passenger-freight ferries to Travemünde, Germany are also available, while Tallink began service to Rostock, Germany in 2007. Copterline has provided fast helicopter flights to Tallinn, however they have suspended service indefinitely at this time.

Other services

The largest hospitals of Finland are located in Helsinki, for example HYKS and many private hospitals. Also police and fire departments serve citizens.

Politics

Helsinki has 85 members in its city council. The three largest parties are National Coalition (25), Social Democrats (21), and Greens (17).

Geography

File:Helsinki climate.png

The Climate in Helsinki.

Helsinki spreads around a number of bays and peninsulas and over a number of islands. The inner city area occupies a southern peninsula, which is rarely referred to by its actual name Vironniemi. Population density in certain parts of Helsinki's inner city area is very high, reaching 16,494/km² in the district of Kallio, but as a whole Helsinki's population density of 3,050/km² ranks it as quite sparsely populated in comparison to other European capital cities. Much of Helsinki outside the inner-city area consists of postwar suburbs separated from each other by patches of forests. A narrow, 6.2-mile-long Helsinki Central Park that stretches from the inner city to the northern border of Helsinki is an important recreational area for the residents.

The Helsinki urban region contains the neighboring cities of Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen, which are together called the Capital Region. This area has a total population of approximately 997,291 citizens.

Some notable islands in Helsinki include Seurasaari, Lauttasaari, and Korkeasaari – which is also the country's biggest zoo – as well as the fortress island of Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) and the military island of Santahamina.

Climate

The city's climate is humid continental (dfb), meaning the average of the coldest month is no more than 26° F Summers are usually warm, although temperatures over 86° F are uncommon. Helsinki is situated on approximately the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, making it the second northernmost capital in the world after Reykjavík, Iceland, hence the very short days in winter.

Architecture

The view across summertime Kaisaniemenlahti.

Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840) designed several neo-classical buildings in Helsinki. He was kept in Helsinki by a unique assignment, simce he was elected to plan a new city center all on his own. The city became shallow and wide at the time when most buildings had only two or three floors. The central point of Engel's city plan is the Senate Square, surrounded by the Government's Palace, the main building of the University, and the enormous Cathedral, which was finished in 1852, 12 years after C. L. Engel's death. Engels's neo-classical plan of the city centre has later given Helsinki the epithet The White City Of The North.

The Helsinki Cathedral (Fin. Helsingin tuomiokirkko, Swe. Helsingfors domkyrka). The cathedral is probably the most prominent building in the city, and its symbol.

Helsinki is, however, perhaps even more famous for its numerous Art Nouveau (Jugend in Finnish) buildings, designed in the early 1900s and strongly influenced by the Kalevala, which is a very popular theme in the national romantic art of that era. Helsinki's Art Nouveau style is also featured in large residential areas such as Katajanokka and Ullanlinna. The master of the Finnish Art Nouveau was Eliel Saarinen (1873-1950), whose architectural masterpiece was the Helsinki central railway station.

File:Helsinki Senate Square.jpg

The Helsinki Senate Square is a popular photo spot for tourists.

Helsinki also features several buildings by the world-renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), attributed as one of the pioneers in functionalism. Many of Aalto's works are either loved or hated. Aalto's buildings, such as the headquarters of the paper company Enso and the concert and congress house Finlandia Hall, have sparked much debate amongst Helsinki's inhabitants.

During the 1960s and 1970s, many aesthetically and historically important houses were swiftly demolished to make room for the rapidly expanding city and instead houses presenting more values of functionalism were built. This has later been widely regarded as a bad move and has led to a strong protectionism of old buildings in Helsinki. The plans made during the era of rapid growth expected Helsinki to have well over one million inhabitants at the turn of the millennium. Much due to the strong protectionism of today, there are still many areas left with distinctive old wooden houses, such as Käpylä, Kumpula, Toukola, and Puu-Vallila.

As a historical footnote, Helsinki's neoclassical buildings were often used as a backdrop for scenes set to take place in the Soviet Union in many Cold War era Hollywood movies. Some of the more notable ones are The Kremlin Letter (1970), Reds (1981), and Gorky Park (1983). Because some of the streetscapes were reminiscent of Leningrad's and Moscow's old buildings, they were used in the production - much to some residents' dismay. At the same time the government secretly briefed it's white-collar workers to make producing these, often clearly Soviet-negative, films in Helsinki as hard as possible due to diplomatic pressure from Moscow.

Culture

File:HelsinkiBay.jpg

The National Opera by the Bay of Töölö

Helsinki can also be considered Finland's culture-capital.

The biggest historical museum in Helsinki is the National Museum of Finland, which displays a vast historical collection from prehistoric times to the twentieth century. The museum building itself, a national romantic-style, neo-medieval castle, is a tourist attraction. Another major historical museum is the Helsinki City Museum, which introduces visitors to Helsinki's 500-year history. The University of Helsinki also has many significant museums, including the University Museum and the Natural History Museum.

The Finnish National Gallery consists on three museums: Ateneum Art Museum for classical Finnish art, Sinebrychoff Art Museum for classical European art, and Kiasma Art Museum for modern art. The old Ateneum, a Neo-Renaissance palace from the nineteenth century, is one of the city's major historical buildings, whereas the highly modern Kiasma is probably the most debated building in Helsinki.

Helsinki has three major theaters: The Finnish National Theatre, the Helsinki City Theatre, and the Finland Swedish Svenska Teatern. The city's main musical venues are the Finnish National Opera and the Finlandia concert-hall. Bigger concerts and events are usually held at one of the city's two big ice-hockey arenas: the Hartwall Areena or the Helsingin Jäähalli. Helsinki has Finland's largest fair center.

Helsinki is also known for its active ICT and digital cultures scene in Greater Helsinki. The biggest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, Helsingin Sanomat, is published daily out of Helsinki.

Widely renowned bands originating from Helsinki, include: Children of Bodom, HIM, The Rasmus, The 69 Eyes, Hanoi Rocks, and Stratovarius.

Internationalism

The city has Finland's largest foreign population in terms of real numbers and percentage of population. There are over 130 nationalities resident in Helsinki. Of these, the largest group include citizens from Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Somalia, Serbia, China, Iraq, and Germany.

Sports

Helsinki has a long tradition of sports. The city gained much of its initial international recognition during the 1952 Summer Olympics, and since then it has been very open to arranging sporting events. Helsinki hosts fairly successful local teams in both of the most- popular team-sports in Finland: football and ice hockey. The latter being a sport of passion for many Helsinkians, who usually support either of the local clubs: HIFK or Jokerit. The strong culture of ice hockey has led to Helsinki becoming the birthplace of many legendary National Hockey League stars such as Teemu Selänne, Jari Kurri, and Esa Tikkanen.

Annual events

• The Helsinki Festival is an annual arts and culture festival, which takes place every August (including the Night of the Arts).
• Valon Voimat "Forces of Light" is an annual winter arts festival.
• Vappu "Vappu" is an annual carnival for students and workers.

Tourism

Joulukatu, Finnish for "Christmas street".

File:File0156.jpg

Hietaniemi Beach, commonly called Hietsu.

Helsinki is small and intimate; lively, but not bustling. Its size makes it easy to walk around and cafés, markets, and the nearby islands are its summer delights.

Because Helsinki is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea and has many miles of coastline, most of its central districts are near the seaside. Helsinki is a strongly maritime city and is popularly called the daughter of the Baltic.

Helsinki's coastal position is best experienced in the summertime from one of the many sightseeing ferries leaving from the port of Helsinki. Many of Helsinki's main attractions are also related to the sea, including the Suomenlinna naval fortress (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and the Seurasaari Island with its parks and open-air museum. Locals often spend sunny days at the Hietaniemi Beach (often simply called Hietsu), Helsinki's main beach in the district of Töölö.

In the wintertime, Helsinki's northern position makes it dark for most of the day, thus making it a cozy town with interesting lighting, such as the classic Aleksanterinkatu's Christmas street (Joulukatu). During the coldest months of the winter it is very common for Helsinkians to go for walks on the frozen sea, although much caution must be taken. There are also many places for ice swimming along the coast, some with saunas.

Air travel to Helsinki is via the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, situated in the neighboring town of Vantaa, a town part of Greater Helsinki. Helsinki also has popular cruiseferry links with Stockholm, Sweden, and hydrofoil and catamaran links to Tallinn, Estonia. Silja, Viking, and Tallink are the biggest ferry operators.

Helsinki is also the home of the Linnanmäki amusement park, which features five rollercoasters and many other rides, inluding the world's first Intamin ZacSpin rollercoaster.

Gallery

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  Kustaanmiekka strait through Suomenlinna Sea Fortress.

• Tower of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.jpg

  Helsinki Olympic Stadium Tower, offers a good view over Helsinki.

• Paavo Nurmi statue in Helsinki.jpg

  A cast of Paavo Nurmi sculpture by Wäinö Aaltonen in Helsinki.

• FinlandParliament.jpg

  Wall of Parliament House

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  Helsinki Central railway station.

• Hesakirkot—GFDL—.jpg

  Rooftops of the southern inner city districts.

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  Finnish National Theatre.

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  Port of Helsinki and the Helsinki Cathedral.

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  The Uspenski Orthodox cathedral.

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  Altar of Temppeliaukio Church that is built underground.

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  The Esplanadi Park in central Helsinki.

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  The Senaatintori square on a winter morning.

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  Stockmann department store along the Aleksanterinkatu's Christmas street.

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  Helsinki market square covered in snow.

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  The National Museum of Finland is located in Helsinki.

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  Kamppi Center, a complex in the district of Kamppi, in the centre of Helsinki.

For more pictures of Helsinki see Wikimedia Commons.

Notable natives

Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld	1832–1901	scientist
Helene Schjerfbeck	1862–1946	painter
Artturi Ilmari Virtanen	1895–1973	Nobel laureate
Ragnar Granit	1900–1991	Nobel laureate
Mika Waltari	1908–1979	author
Tove Jansson	1914–2001	author and creator of the Moomin characters
Tarja Halonen	1943–	President of the Republic of Finland, 2000–2012
Esa-Pekka Salonen	1958–	conductor and composer
Linus Torvalds	1969–	creator of the Linux kernel

For a more thorough list see the Wikipedia category People from Helsinki.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Renouf, Norman. Insight Pockert Guide Helsinki, Insight Guides, 2005. ISBN 978-9812581372
• Symington, Andy. Lonely Planet Finland, Lonely Planet Publications, 2006. ISBN 978-1740597913
• Thomas, Daniel C. The Helsinki Effect: International Norms, Human Rights, and the Demise of Communism, Princeton University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0691048598
• Wallis, Nigel. Helsinki: The Bradt Travel Guides, 2007. ISBN 978-1841621845

External links

• Official website (in English; other languages available)
• Helsinki.fi City Portal
• Photo Gallery Street life

Credits

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