The White City Of North

A German architect, Carl Ludwig Engel (1778–1840), was called to build Helsinki as the new capital of the autonomic grand principality of Finland that was a part of Russian Empire from 1808 to 1917. Prior to, Finland had been under the Swedish occupation for six hundred years with a West coast town, Turku, as the centre of culture, trade, administration and education. After a devastating fire in 1827, the Royal Academy of Turku – the only university in the country – was relocated to Helsinki. It was around the university Engel designed the town, with the Helsinki Cathedral as a landmark, in neoclassical style to resemble St Petersburg. Despite of an intense russification of the era, Finnish (suomi) was recognized as a national language equal to Swedish for the first time in history and became instrumental in defining Finnish identity. In 1917, after the October revolution of Russia, Finland declared its independence.

In the early 1900s there was an upheaval of romantic nationalism. Much of Helsinki was built – even entire residential areas – in Art Nouveau style that was influenced by the mythological epic and oral folklore of Kalevala. It is not uncommon to see gnomes, elves and goblins being carved on the building walls.

Besides the renowned Finnish Art Nouveau (Jugend) master, Eliel Saarinen (1873-1950), Helsinki is better known by the work of Alvar Aalto (1898–1976). He was a pioneer of functionalism and drew the national mind closer to the Scandinavian clean lines and simplicity via architecture, design and art.

Below (left) a relief of Engel, on the Helsinki University plinth.

My camera walk, yesterday, covered partially the neoclassical Helsinki and, kauppatori, a market square located by the harbour. I bought fresh peas, cauliflowers, baby potatoes and carrots, and will let you know what everyone here makes of them, at least once a summer, in the next post.

Thank you.