11 May 2019 -- Day 3 -- Helsinki
We docked around 9:00am to a heavy, dense fog, which cleared as we boarded our transport for the city tour and walk around the sites. Helsinki has about 600,000 people and the city is very spread out with lots of reconditioning of streets and buildings underway now that the cold weather is gone.
The country has a varied history of being under Swedish rule, then Russian rule, and finally gaining independence in 1917. Like Sweden it also has a 300-island archipelago, and a large portion of the country is above the Arctic Circle, known as Lappland. Swedish and Finnish languages are both spoken in country and English is taught in all the schools.
It's known as the "White City of the North" as a lot of the buildings use a white granite, that is native to the country. The three structures below form what is known as Senate Square, which is where the film REDS, starring Warren Beatty, was filmed. The first is the Government House of the States, and now houses Parliament. The second, which is across the square is the Helsinki University House. Lastly is the Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral in its Greco-Roman architecture which is in the center of the quadrangle, atop a long flight of steps.
Below is the sculpture honoring the Finnish violinist, Sibelius. It consists of 600 iron pipes forming a musical wave pattern.
And then there is the neo-Modern architecture represented by the new Helsinki Library, designed by Saarinen!
We docked around 9:00am to a heavy, dense fog, which cleared as we boarded our transport for the city tour and walk around the sites. Helsinki has about 600,000 people and the city is very spread out with lots of reconditioning of streets and buildings underway now that the cold weather is gone.
The country has a varied history of being under Swedish rule, then Russian rule, and finally gaining independence in 1917. Like Sweden it also has a 300-island archipelago, and a large portion of the country is above the Arctic Circle, known as Lappland. Swedish and Finnish languages are both spoken in country and English is taught in all the schools.
It's known as the "White City of the North" as a lot of the buildings use a white granite, that is native to the country. The three structures below form what is known as Senate Square, which is where the film REDS, starring Warren Beatty, was filmed. The first is the Government House of the States, and now houses Parliament. The second, which is across the square is the Helsinki University House. Lastly is the Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral in its Greco-Roman architecture which is in the center of the quadrangle, atop a long flight of steps.
In the center of Senate Square, is the 1863 statue of Alexander II, who was instrumental in forming Helsinki into the capital and used architects form St.Petersburg to make a lot of the buildings. This is why buildings such as the Government House of the States above and St. Petersburg's Palace are nearly identical.
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral is situated on the Baltic Sea coastline atop a granite rock, across from the Presidential Palace on Market Square.
Below is the sculpture honoring the Finnish violinist, Sibelius. It consists of 600 iron pipes forming a musical wave pattern.
And then there is the neo-Modern architecture represented by the new Helsinki Library, designed by Saarinen!
Next, 2 days in St. Petersburg...!
Wow, what a beautiful place! I love the iron pipes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all the history and modern. We are enjoying following your travels. <3
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