The City From Where Santa Claus Leaves

At the end of November, the capital of Finland is the place from which Santa Claus embarks on his long journey around the world, to share gifts with children. No wonder Helsinki has the charm of a fairytale city from another time.

"Baltic Sea Girl"

Also known as the "Girl of the Baltic Sea", the city was founded in 1550, at the mouth of the Vantaanjoki River, by Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden, as a trading post to rival Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

In fact, the era of Gustav I Vasa brings a new breath to Finland, a development on several levels and opens the way to a troubled history, but with happy events for this Nordic country, the younger cousin of Sweden and neighboring Russia.

Thus, between 1550 and 1640, Finland adopted the Lutheran religion, the administration was centralized, and immigration to the eastern part of the country was promoted.

If you decide to visit the city, it is good to know exactly when you will make the trip; for example, in summer the days are long, outside it is light from 2:30 in the morning until night, at 22:30, while in winter, the sun shines only from 9:00 in the morning until 15:00 in the afternoon. If you want extended nights or longer days than anywhere, choose the time of the visit knowingly.

The history of the city means that Helsinki has experienced changes of position, wars, plague, famine, Russian occupation, all these moments being reflected in the architecture of the capital. The old buildings, such as the Bank of Finland, the House of Nobles, the House of States, and the Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress, also tell those interested about the suffering, sacrifices, and struggles to drive away from the many invaders.

The Suomenlinna Fortress, located on an islet, 15 minutes by boat from Helsinki, is the work of Swedish architect Augustin Ehrensvard. It was built in 1748, with modern European techniques (brought from the mainland). Over time, he served as the capital's defender against invasions from the sea and has since been called the Gibraltar of the North. Today it is a favorite place of tourists, being included in the UNESCO patrimony.

From the city like any other to the capital

Until 1812, Helsinki was a simple Finnish city, a port on the Gulf of Finland. At that time the capital was Turku, located at a distance of 150 km from Helsinki. After the war of 1809, when Finland was annexed to Russia, Tsar Alexander I transformed Helsinki into capital and developed it, with the idea of ​​becoming a showcase to the west.

Since then, the city has developed at a rapid and spectacular pace, reaching what makes it a modern, European capital today. Helsinki or Helsingfors, in Swedish (here all street or city signs have bi-lingual inscriptions, in Finnish and Swedish), invite you to walk the narrow streets, with old buildings on either side, imposing and austere in point from an architectural point of view, to admire the historical monuments and especially to be immersed in the unnatural peace for the 21st century that reigns in this city.

At the end of the trip, you will have the feeling that you have been on a fairytale land, where things are happening in slow motion. In order not to lose anything of the charm of the city, we recommend the following route.

Sibelius Monument

It was founded in 1957 in honor of Finland's most important composer, Jean Sibelius. The construction project was won by competition by the sculptor Eila Hiltunen and is called "Passio Musicae".

Mrs. Hiltunen, known as a master of the art of welding in metal sculpture, designed and erected this monument in 1967, with the modern idea that the visitor could touch the work, but also hear its echo, because the monument is, in fact, a the welding of several metal tubes, such as the organ, through which when the wind passes some sounds are heard - the discreet symphony of nature, similar to the musical work of Sibelius.

As an image, the monument "opiates" the straight posture of the trees of the vast Finnish forests and the gray color of the rock on which this northern country is built.

Temppeliaukio Church

Or Stone Church is the most visited place by tourists arriving in Helsinki, about half a million a year. The project of the church was also won by competition by the brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, in 1961.

At first, the project caused a great deal of controversy, because the idea of ​​a church built on a rock meant a lot of money and, in addition, it would have looked austere and cold as a bunker, so it was called "the bunker to drive away enemies".

However, after its construction in 1969, the church became a place of great attraction, with only rock walls, with perfect, special acoustics, there were countless classical instrumental concerts, of great artistic value.

The main attraction of the church is the iconostasis - a crack in the rock, formed in the ice age, and the enchanting music created by the composer Ilkka Kuusisto (1933), which can be heard from inside the church.

Uspenski Cathedral

It is the second church, next to the Lutheran church, which can be seen from the entrance to Helsinki by sea. It is an Orthodox church, built and painted by the architect Alexei M. Gornostajev, between 1862 and 1868, in Russian-Byzantine style. Built entirely of red brick, it was inspired by a 16th-century Muscovite church, imitating the Bomarsund Fortress in Åland, destroyed in the Crimean War of 1854. Uspenski Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Western Europe.

Lutheran Cathedral

Also known as the White Church, it rises high on the hill of the city and is very visible (like Uspenski Cathedral) from afar. It was designed by Prussian architect Carl Ludwig Engel and built-in 1852.

Located right in the center of the city, the Cathedral has great importance in the cultural and social life of the capital, because here are opened the procedures for opening and closing the Parliament, the service for appointing university doctors; in summer, on sunny and warm days, the inhabitants rest on the steps of the church.

In winter, the Christmas concert of the "Cantores Minores" choir takes place here, and on December 30, in the square in front of the church, the mayor wishes "Happy Holidays" to all the inhabitants of the city.

On November 28, in front of the Lutheran Cathedral, Santa Claus goes out into the world every year, in his sleigh pulled by reindeer, to give presents to all the children.

Havis Amanda

Havis Amanda is an artesian well located in the center of the city and represents its symbol. Built-in 1855 by the well-known artist Ville Vallgren, the fountain represents the slender figure of a girl coming out of the sea and was conceived in the spirit of art nouveau.

According to a well-known legend, Vallgren was a 19-year-old Parisian model for this statue. Today, the Havis statue of Amanda or Manta, as it is called by the Finns, is a special place for students; on April 31, they welcome spring, placing on the girl's head a cap specific to the faculty she represents.

Cafes, shops, clubs

As Finns are the number one coffee drinkers in the world, it goes without saying that in Helsinki there are cafes for all tastes and pretensions, from the most elegant, old fashioned, with the look of an old club or library (to we do not forget that the Finns are generally fanatical readers), such as Steinberg or Kappely, to the most modern, with Italy coffee services.

All these chic cafes are located on Esplanadi, the most visited place by tourists, so the tourist and commercial center of the city, wherein summer you can not hear hearing Finnish because of the thousands of foreigners who visit the city.

The large Stockman store, located at the northern end of the Esplanade, offers visitors the full range of souvenirs with which you can leave a tourist town: from the famous reindeer fur to the usual clothing, footwear, and interior decorations.