The Ateneum Art museum appears on nearly every list of must-sees in Helsinki for good reason. Its grand halls and sculpture-adorned façade make it a sight worth seeing, but don’t stop at merely admiring the exterior.  Within its ornate walls is an unmissable experience for visitors; nowhere else can you enjoy such a thorough perspective of […]

Helsinki’s new central library Oodi opened on December 5, the eve of Finland’s 101st Independence Day, a fitting celebration for one of the most literate nations in the world. Located at Kansalaistori Square in the heart of the city, Oodi promises to be a transformative and multi-functional space, defying any notion of the library as a dated public […]

Nouveau ideas Helsinki’s architecture offers many examples of turn of the century Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) and the classicism that followed. These styles can be studied in numerous public buildings. The National Museum, the National Theatre, and Eliel Saarinen’s Central Railway Station are some of the landmarks of this period. Of the original interiors that still […]

The hectic construction that took place in the closing decades of the nineteenth century is evident nearly everywhere in central Helsinki. Four- and five-storey commercial buildings and residential blocks were erected on Pohjoisesplanadi, Bulevardi, and Erottaja, designed in a style that emulated the architecture of Vienna and Berlin. The so-called period of Eclecticism produced many […]

What does Helsinki have to offer visitors interested in architecture? Both architecturally and culturally, Helsinki is an idiosyncratic mix of eastern and western influence. The main theatres, museums, and concert halls are all centrally located, and many public and commercial buildings manifest outstanding architectural quality. HELSINKI IS YOUNGER and smaller than most of the other […]

Throughout Helsinki, you can find outstanding examples of a range of architectural styles from different eras. National Romanticism For instance, the Jugendstil architectural style is showcased beautifully in Helsinki if you know where to look. The romanticism of the art nouveau Jugendstil theme is expressed in the turrets, rural motifs and quirky granite detail of […]