This is Helsinki: View to the Market Square, Presidential Palace and the old city.
This is the oldest and most central area in the capital of Finland. What?s in the picture? Let?s find out.
The church in the top right corner probably looks familiar to most. It?s the Helsinki Cathedral, opened in 1852. It?s probably the most iconic building in Helsinki. Construction of the church was ordered by the Russian czar Alexander I after he ordered then really small Helsinki to become the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland. (Finland was then part of Russian empire but still somewhat “stand-alone” entity called Grand Duchy of Finland.)
The buildings surrounding the square include for example the University of Helsinki and Finnish government?s offices.
In the middle you?ll see a yellow building on the northern (right) edge of Market Square (by the sea). It?s the presidential palace. Next to that, along the Market Square are the City Hall of Helsinki and the Swedish embassy.
Below them is the market square and you?ll also see the Suomenlinna ferry docked and ready to take tourists and residents to Suomenlinna fortress island.
The white building in the foreground is the headquarter of forestry enterprise Stora-Enso. (Formerly, when the building was constructed, known as Enso-Gutzeit) Building designed by famous Finnish architecht Alvar Aalto was finished in 1962. Through decades it has been criticized for being too modern for it?s surroundings. And what?s worse, having replaced old and according to public opinion, fancier building. However the Stora-Enso building was officially protected in 2010 as a prime example of architecture from it?s era.
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This is Helsinki Market Square on the map:
