Helsinki
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Template:Kuntainfo Helsinki (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable in Finnish: Template:IPA), Helsingfors in Swedish (Template:Audio) or Helsset in Sámi, also called "Stadi" in local slang, is the capital of Finland. It is located in the southern part of Finland on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, at Template:Coor dm. The population of Helsinki is about 560,000. Helsinki forms a conurbation with three other cities, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, which are together called the capital area. This area has about 975,000 citizens. The Greater Helsinki area contains many more municipalities and has a total population of 1,232,741 (2004).
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Etymology
Helsingfors is the original name of the modern city of Helsinki, and is still the official Swedish name for the city, even if the Finnish name, Helsinki, has been dominant also 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.
History
Template:Main 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.
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 Helsingfors 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 20th 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.
Although much of the first half of the 20th 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.
Services
Image:Helsinkimerelta--GFDL--.jpg Image:Hesakirkot--GFDL--.jpg Image:Senaatintori joulukuisena aamuna 2004.jpg
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. Higher level education is given in eight universities (see the section "Universities" below) and four polytechnics.
Institutions of higher education
Universitites
Main article: Universities in Finland
- 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
- National Defence College (Finland) (not necessarily considered a university)
Polytechnics
Traffic
Template:Main Image:Mannerheimintie.jpg In Helsinki, public transport is mostly managed by Helsinki City Transport. The diverse public transport system consists of trams, VR lähiliikenne commuter trains, the Helsinki Metro and bus 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 metro trains. There used to be two other cities in Finland with tram traffic: Turku and Viipuri (Vyborg). However, Turku abandoned trams in 1972 and Viipuri (at that time part of the Soviet Union) abandoned them in 1957.
The metro line, opened in 1982, was the first, and so far the only, metro line in all of Finland. For the first 16 years of its existence, the line was topologically only one straight line, but in 1998 a fork was added at Itäkeskus metro station, dividing the remainder of the line into two branches with three stations each. The Metro is an especially important method of transportation for commuters in the growing suburbs of Eastern Helsinki, and there are also plans to further expand the system to Espoo (see Länsimetro), but lack of agreement over financing has caused delays to the project. If the plans for automation in the system are approved, the Helsinki Metro will operate without drivers in 2010.
Air traffic is handled from the international Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and Malmi Airport. Ferry connections to Tallinn and Stockholm are serviced by various companies, including Silja Line, Viking Line, SeaWind Line, Linda Line, Nordic Jet Line and Tallink (see Ruotsinlaiva). Finnlines passenger-freight ferries to Travemünde, Germany are also available. Copterline provides fast helicopter flights to Tallinn.
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
Image:Helsinki climate.png Template:Main
Geography
Template:Main Helsinki spreads around a number of bays and peninsulas and over a number of islands. Some of the most important islands 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.
Architecture
Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840) designed several neo-classical buildings in Helsinki. He was kept in Helsinki by a unique assignment, as he was elected to plan a new centrum all on his own, which later on was also referred to as The White City Of The North. 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 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, twelve years after C. L. Engel's death.
Image:Helsinki Cathedral in July 2004.jpg
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.
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.
Culture
Helsinki can also be considered Finland's culture-capital. Helsinki's two main museums are the Ateneum and the Kiasma, the latter displaying contemporary art, while the former being well-known for its classical art exhibitions.
Helsinki's main musical venues are the Finlandia concert-hall and the Finnish National Opera. Bigger concerts and events are usually held at one of the city's two big hockey-stadiums: the Hartwall Areena or the Helsingin jäähalli. Helsinki also has a big fair centre.
Helsinki is also known for its active ICT and digital cultures scene in Greater Helsinki.
Some widely renowned bands originate from Helsinki, including Stratovarius, HIM, The Rasmus, and The 69 Eyes.
Events
- Valon Voimat "Forces of Light" is an annual winter arts festival.
- Helsingin Juhlaviikot is an annual arts and culture festival, which takes place every August.
- Vappu "Vappu" is an annual carnival for students and workers.
Tourism
See also: Tourism in Finland, List of sites in Helsinki
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.
Image:File0156.jpg Because Helsinki is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea and has many kilometres of coastline, most of its central districts are near the seaside. Helsinki is a very maritime city and is popularly called the daughter of the Baltic.
Helsinki's coastal position makes it ideal to experience 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, the Suomenlinna sea-fortress built in the 18th century to defend the city and the Seurasaari Island with its parks and open-air museum, the former being a UNESCO World Heritage site. Locals often spend sunny days at the Hietaniemi Beach (often simply called Hietsu), Helsinki's main beach in the district of Töölö.
In the winter-time Helsinki's northern position makes it dark for most of the day, thus making it a cosy town with much interesting lighting, such as the classic Aleksanterikatu's Christmas street (Joulukatu). During very cold periods it is very common for Helsinkians to go for walks on the frozen sea, although much caution must be taken.
Air travel to Helsinki is via the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Helsinki also has popular ferry links with Stockholm, Sweden and Tallinn, Estonia. Silja, Viking and Tallink are the biggest ferry operators.
 Suomenlinna Sea Fortress |
 Helsinki Olympic Stadium Tower, offers a good view over Helsinki. |
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 Port of Helsinki and the Helsinki Cathedral |
 The Uspenski Orthodox cathedral |
 Entrance of Temppelinaukio Church that is built underground. |
 The Esplanadi Park in central Helsinki |
 Stockmann department store along the Aleksanterinkatu's Christmas street. |
Notable natives
- Ragnar Granit – Nobel laureate
- Tarja Halonen – President of the Republic of Finland
- Tove Jansson – author and creator of the Moomin characters
- Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld – scientist
- Esa-Pekka Salonen – conductor and composer
- Helene Schjerfbeck – painter
- Linus Torvalds – creator of the Linux kernel
- Ville Valo – musician, HIM
- Artturi Ilmari Virtanen – Nobel laureate
- Mika Waltari – author
Olympics
Helsinki was the host of the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Trivia
The asteroid 1495 Helsinki was named after the city by its discoverer, the Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä.
Although Helsinki is the capital of the entire state of Finland, and the central municipality of the Uusimaa region, it is not the capital of the province of Southern Finland. That honour belongs to Hämeenlinna.
Helsinki is one of the very few multiple-century-old Finnish cities not to have a castle. The island fortress of Suomenlinna is often thought of serving as a surrogate castle, even though it is two centuries younger than Helsinki.
There are no streets named Rauhankatu (Peace Street), Vapaudenkatu (Freedom Street) or Itsenäisyydenkatu (Independence Street) anywhere in Helsinki. Most other major Finnish cities have at least one of them.
Helsinki is the friendliest city in Finland. Where else do complete strangers offer you their seats on a tram or a metro train without asking?
"Helsinki" is also the name of a district in Taivassalo.
The name "Helsinki" is often written as "Hell-sinki" in the heavy metal community.
See also
External links
- Helsinki – Official site
- Template:Wikitravel
- Map of central Helsinki
- Map of Helsinki in 1902
- Map of Helsinki Metropolitan Area
- Journey Planner – a web application for determining public transport routes in the Helsinki region
- Helsinki through the lense – Photo gallery
- Webcam Helsinki live webcam
- Satellite map of Helsinki
- Helsinki - Finland Travel Club
- Satellite map of Helsinki on Google maps
Template:Olympic Summer Games Host Cities
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