OTHER PLACES TO SEE

Finland prides itself on design and there are some fine buildings, as well as plenty of clunkers that shouldn't have got off the drawing board.

Even the white office block in the South Harbour that obscures the Uspenski Cathedral has some admirers although, according to the press, this is the building that most Finns would like to demolish. At least the architect didn't get his own way completely; he wanted it a bit taller.

Central Railway Station
The golden age of Finnish design started well before independence. One of its finest works was Helsinki Central Railway Station, completed in 1914.

The Railway Station is 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) from the Market Square. If you board tram 3T or 4 on the Senate Square, going along Alexander Street, it's your third stop.

The architect was Eliel Saarinen, who designed many fine art nouveau buildings in the early 20th century. In 1923 he moved to the United States. His son, Eero, carried on the family traditions there, designing the St. Louis Gateway Arch and the main terminal at Dulles International Airport.

The facade of the Railway Station is mostly pink granite. The top of the tall clock tower is clad in copper. Each side of the main entrance stands a couple of stone men holding spherical lamps. The lamps are lit at night-time. Trains leave here for every part of Finland as well as St. Petersburg and Moscow in Russia, journeys of 6½ and 12 hours.

When the contest to design the station was held, Saarinen won it with a cozy romantic design featuring bears. This sparked a furious argument among architects about the need for rational public buildings, and he changed his mind completely, abandoning romanticism and redesigning the station.

A hundred years later his glorious station is still in active use. Unfortunately it is hard to see properly from the front. Modern city planners have hidden it behind a jungle of traffic signs, overhead cables and a short-stay car park.

But inside it is still magnificent. Two hundred thousand passengers pass through it every day, making it Finland’s most visited building. The only major recent addition is the glass roof above the platforms, and that was part of the original plans anyway.

Sibelius Monument
The Sibelius Monument is a modern piece of abstract art, erected in 1967, ten years after the death of Jean Sibelius. It is in the small, peaceful Sibelius Park.

The monument is 3½ km. (2 miles) by road from the centre, not easy to find and not easy to reach by tram. If you take a taxi you might ask the driver to wait; after strolling round the monument, there’s little else to do. However you could decide to go on to Seurasaari Island because you are now halfway there..

The Sibelius Monument is a dramatic sight and part of many organized tours. Children certainly enjoy running around below the 600 hollow stainless steel tubes that have been welded together and hoisted into the air, like organ pipes. The great musician would not have liked it at all. He did not compose any organ music.

The monument was designed and created by Eila Hiltunen, who had already produced a lot of open-air works. The Sibelius Monument was her greatest. The welding took four years, and she had to develop special techniques to stop the tubes deforming. The whole thing weighs 24 tonnes.

She was under constant public attack at the time, because the people of Helsinki wanted something that looked like Sibelius. As a compromise, she added his profile as a young man to the monument, but this didn't satisfy his fans, who had been used to him looking old. After the work was ready, though, most of the criticism ceased.

Seurasaari Island
This is a trip for people who like walking and have good shoes. Although you can turn back at any point, you still have to make your way back to the bridge. There are no taxis or public transport on Seurasaari.

Seurasaari is an island just off the peninsula of Helsinki that acts as an open air museum of Finnish country life in bygone centuries.

The bridge to Seurasaari is 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) from the centre. Bus 24 goes there in 20 minutes from the Swedish Theatre at the end of the Esplanade, departing 2-3 times per hour. A taxi is faster but there is no taxi rank at Seurasaari so you will need to call or book one to get back unless you take the bus (see Public transport).

Well-preserved old wooden buildings from all over Finland have been rebuilt here. The island has no permanent residents and consists mainly of parks and forests. The museum area is at its north end, near the wooden bridge that links it to the mainland.

As you enter the island, there is a tar boat moored in the boathouse on your left. Father along the path is a water mill and, behind it, a granary. Soon you reach the entire Antti farmstead from western Finland, showing the enclosed shape of farms of the Middle Ages. The yard is surrounded by the main building, a loft storehouse for sleeping, a food cellar, a kitchen and a sauna. The museum’s cafe is in the wood cellar.

Through the trees, you can see the tall Karuna Church, built in 1686, the oldest building in the museum. Its steep roof was added in 1774. The bell tower was built in 1776, to house the church bell, which had been cast in Stockholm. The pulpit is in the Dutch style, and the church is decorated with 12 oil paintings. It was moved to Seurasaari in 1912.

The island is rarely busy and one can wander freely among the old homes, store houses, smithies and windmill, often watched only by the red squirrels. The museum area is about 700 metres long and has fixed opening hours but it is enjoyable to walk among the buildings at any time.

Seurasaari has its own restaurant. The path around its coast is 2.4 km. long (1½ miles). On its west side are two fenced bathing areas, for those who are feeling hot. No swimsuit is needed – this is for nude bathing and is strictly segregated. One area is for men and one for women. Modern hybrids are not catered for.

Hakaniemi Market Hall
If you find the South Harbour market place too touristic and its market hall too expensive, visit the hall in Hakaniemi where real people do shopping.

From the South Harbour, walk north one block to Senate Square and catch tram number 7 from the front of the Senate House. Hakaniemi Square is the third stop. The Market Hall is at the north side of the square.

Hakaniemi is on the edge of working-class Helsinki and the square here used to sell milk, butter, peas, apples, potatoes, berries and game. It was also a place where people bought their firewood, until it was set afire in demonstrations against the war in 1940. This is still a place where leftist party leaders make their speeches on May Day.

Hakaniemi Hall
Mon - Fri	8:00 –18:00 (6 p.m.)
Sat	8:00 – 16:00 (4.p.m.)
Sun	Closed
Hakaniemi Market Square
Mon-Sat	6:30 - 15:00 (3 p.m.)

Now that people buy their staple food in supermarkets, most of the trading left at Hakaniemi has moved into the hall. Food is on the ground floor while fashions, handicrafts and stranger things are found on the floor above. It is no longer for the poor but perhaps for those who remember their roots: the president of Finland, Tarja Halonen, shops here from time to time.

At a time when most food is frozen or ready prepared, Hakaniemi still offers a great range of fresh meats and fish. Visitors are more likely to be intrigued by the preserves, oils, sweets, berries and soaps on offer. The hall also contains six cafes and lunch places.

Instead of returning on the tram to the centre, you could walk back along the coast, along a boulevard of fine art nouveau apartment buildings that face Crown Bay (Kruununvuorenselkä). On your way, you'll pass the icebreaker fleet at anchor, waiting for next winter. The whole walk is about 1.8 kilometres (just over a mile).

Temple Square “Rock” Church
Opened in 1969, Temple Square church was built inside the natural rock that formed the centre of the square. It is illuminated by natural light, entering through a glazed dome.

The square is 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from the South Harbour market place. Tram 3T goes straight there in 16 minutes (7th stop). Ask to be told when to get off; the church isn't easily visible.

Rock Church opening times
Mon , Tue, Thu, Fri	10:00 –20:00 (8 p.m.)
Wed	10:00 – 18:45 (6:45 p.m.)
Sat	10:00 – 18:00 (6.p.m.)
Sun	11:45-13:45 and 15:30-18:00

This Lutheran church takes its name from the square where it was built. It is not an ancient temple but a very modern church produced by the simplest of methods – excavating a large cave. The altar wall is majestic rock. The dome is copper but with windows all around it to admit light from the sky.

The rough, unworked stone surfaces inside had an expected side-effect. They created excellent acoustics, and the church is often used as a concert venue.

The rock church is a favourite sight of Helsinki. This is a mixed blessing in the summer, when it swarms with visitors and access roads become blocked with coaches. The design was intended to make it unobtrusive but its success has changed all that. Try to get there early in the day if you can.