Interesting Information About Helsinki

helsinki

A trading town—this is how King Gustav I of Sweden established Helsinki in the year 1550.  But by 1710, it was marked with wars, diseases, and plagues and most of the inhabitants were killed. The winds of change blew in the 18th century when the naval fortress Sveaborg was build to improve the conditions of Helsinki and later Russia won the Finnish war and made Finland the independent Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809. From then, the period of transformation began and the town developed by King Gustav I started its journey towards becoming an important city. The transformation is evident from the buildings in the urban area that resemble the neo-classical style of St. Petersburg.  With these changes, Helsinki experienced an upsurge in its economic and commercial value. Other major factors that contributed to its success were: technological advancements, industrialization, and development of railroads. Irrespective of riotous Finnish history, Helsinki kept growing gradually. Today, Helsinki has become the commercial, cultural, and political centre of Finland and is becoming an important node of business between Europe and Asia. Other than being a business hub, Helsinki also offers promising sightings and nightlife. The carnivals here are a treat to watch but summers are equally enjoyable with sun never going down the horizon. This leaves you with an option of watching white night. Extract more information about the amazing city here.

Fast Facts

Established: 1812
Country: Finland
State/Region: Uusimaa
Language(s) Spoken: Finnish
Demonym: Helsinkian
Religion: Christianity
Districts: 33
Area: 715.49 sq. km
Population: 596,233 (31-January-2012)

Interesting And Fun Facts About Helsinki

    • Helsinki is surrounded by Stockholm (Sweden) in east, St Petersburg (Russia) in west, Tallinn (Estonia) in North, and Gulf of Finland in south.
    • Helsinki became the capital of Finland in the year 1812, when Czar Alexander I of Russia replaced it with Turku in order to reduce Swedish impact.
    • In 1827, the Royal Academy of Turku, the only University in the country was relocated to Helsinki.
    • The neoclassical buildings in the city, including the senate square, the government palace, and the cathedral were designed by Carl Ludvig Engel during the 18th century. The cathedral was completed twelve years after the death of its creator.
    • The most noticeable thing in Helsinki is Art Nouveau, which is influenced by Kalevala designed in the 1900s. Apparently, the Helsinki’s central railway station, designed by Eliel Saarinen, displays the Art Nouveau style.
    • Alvar Aalto has also bestowed his great architectural skills on the city, but the creations of this amazing architect, namely, the headquarters of Stora Enso and Finlandia Hall are under controversy.
    • Helsinki is also a home to some other marvellous structures like, the Olympic stadium, the tennis palace, the swimming stadium, the rowing stadium, the velodrome, the glass palace, the exhibition hall, and the Helsinki-Malmi Airport.
    • Lutheran Cathedral, an unsanctioned symbol of the city designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, is used for both prayers and weddings. It is the most prominent tourist attraction in Helsinki and every year almost 3,50,000 people visit the church.
    • The Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki is claimed to be the largest orthodox church in Western Europe. It is an onion-domed Russian church dedicated to Virgin Mary..
    • Sibelius monument, designed by Eila Hiltunen, is dedicated to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, which was made public on 7th September, 1967. It is made up of 600 steel pipes, plastered together in the shape of wave.
    • The Church of Rock was designed by the two brothers, Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen. They started their work in 1968 by exploding a rocky outcrop, which was developed as an underground church with copper wire ceiling in 1969. From the aerial view it appears as if a UFO has collided with the ground.
    • In 1952, the 15th Summer Olympic Games were held in Helsinki. They proved to be a milestone in the city’s history as they led to further urbanization and development of the city.
    • Because of the presence of buildings resembling St. Petersburg, many Hollywood films were shot in Helsinki, for instance, The Kremlin Letter, Reds, and Gorky Park. The city offers some picturesque streets that are reminiscent of old Leningrad’s and Moscow’s ancient buildings.
    • Seurasaari Open Air museum, situated on Seurasaari Island in the northern centre of the city, has collection of old Finnish houses. One should visit the place in summers as it is the time when guides of the buildings are customarily dressed.
    • Pihlajasaari, with loads of sandy beaches, is a very popular summer spot for tourists.
    • Finland’s biggest zoo is located on Korkeasaari, an island in Helsinki. The zoo has 200 species of different animals. .
    • Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturing company, originated from Finland, is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, the neighbouring city of Helsinki. It generates annual revenue of 50.7 billion Euros.
    • Helsinki enjoys long days of almost 19 hours during summers.  Conversely, during winters, the nights are longer with almost 18 hours of darkness.
    • Helsinki is the only city in Finland to have trams or subway trains with seventy-three kilometres long tracks.
    • Though the city is formally bilingual with almost 86% Finnish speaking and 6% Swedish speaking people, but many of them can understand and speak English as well.
    • The Helsinki metropolitan area, known as Greater Helsinki, includes the city of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen.
    • 70% of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled in Helsinki and probably this is the reason why it has gained importance from political, educational, financial, and cultural point of view.
    • Helsinki was declared the ‘World Design Capital for 2012’ in 2009 by International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.
    • Helsinki has many bays, peninsulas, and many islands around its borders.
    • Major islands include seurasaari, lauttasaari, and korkeasaari while the list of other noticeable islands comprises of santahamia and pihlajasaari thatare military islands.
    • Interestingly, today Helsinki has more women population than men. The women constitute around 53% of the total population of Helsinki.