Kings, Grand Dukes, Town Councils and Tsars: A Brief Excursion to Historical Northeastern Europe 4
HELSINKI
I arrived in Helsinki via a quick two hour ferry from Tallinn. The ferry was huge as it is used as a main transport link between Estonia and the lower continent and the Nordic lands. It was a smooth sail and a nice way to reach the Finnish coast. The ferry arrives at a tram stop, or a tram stop is right by the ferry, whichever way one looks at it, so it is very easy to get into the center of town. After dropping off my luggage at the hotel, I headed straight towards Senate Square to see first the Cathedral then on to the National Museum.
Finland’s history, as recounted in the National Museum, is fascinating as clearly the country has its own unique traditions and language, yet it has only been an independent nation for just over a century. Finland was first mentioned as a region by the Pope in a letter dated 1171, regretting that the people of Finland were giving up on Christianity too easily and reverting back to the old ways and faiths. The conflict between the Finns who believed in the indigenous gods and the Swedes who had converted to Christianity was reputed to be quite heated. A legend was created that has become “official history” in much of Finland about a character called Lalli who supposedly murdered the missionary who brought Christianity to the region, Bishop Henry, on a frozen Lake Köyliö in 1156. According to the tale, Bishop Henry’s Swedes won a battle over the pagan Finns and after the vanquished admitted that their gods had not protected them, Bishop Henry baptized them into the new faith. The legend is just that, however, as according to the facts in the National Museum, at the time there was no Finland and no Henry. The cult of Saint Henry, however, “started not long after his presumed death and was at its height until the Reformation in the 16th C.” The legend is wonderful propaganda for the Christianization and Swedish dominion of the Finns. The region’s official history begins in the 12th C, which I found to be quite remarkable as there were clearly cultures here well before that time, but apparently none that left lasting settlements. In the 13th C Turku and Häme Castles were built to solidify the Swedish kings’ power over the region and provide a defense system for the Swedes against the Eastern Rus. By the 14th C, Finland was called the Swedish “Eastern Region” and the name “Finland” referred just to contemporary Southwest Finland. Helsinki was founded in 1550 by the Swedish King Gustav Vasa. The Swedes considered Finland part of their country until they lost it in 1718 to Tsar Peter the Great of Russia after the Great Northern War 1697-1718. In a manifesto by Elizabeth I of Russia (r. 1741-1762) there was the first mention of making Finland an autonomous buffer state that would help end the continual wars between Sweden and Russia. The main ideas of her manifesto were later also discussed in the Diet of Provoo in 1809. Sweden and Russia continued to struggle for control of Finnish territory throughout the 18th C until it was officially annexed as an autonomous part of Russia in 1809 at the end of the Finnish War. In 1808 Tsar Alexander I decided to remake Helsinki into a mini St. Petersburg and hired a German architect, Carl Ludwig Engel, to construct a modern city that didn’t use wood for its structures as the earlier buildings were often damaged by fire. Engel created the buildings surrounding Senate Square, including the Government Palace in 1818 with its Corinthian columns intended to reflect the power of the Russian state and the University building opposite the Government Building with Ionic columns to represent learning, and the Cathedral. The Cathedral brochure was informative and I quote: “Helsinki became the capital of Finland in 1812 and its development into one of the cities of residence of the Russian Tsar began. The political situation of Finland and the influence of St. Petersburg on Helsinki meant that the architectural currents of Europe made their mark. By the end of the 1770s there were only 49 stone buildings in the whole of Finland and only one in Helsinki. In the next fifty years this situation changed completely.
The building work in Helsinki began in 1815 and was undertaken according to the master plan of Ehrenström (the governor). The site for the Nicholas Church had been reserved on the rocks of the north side of the future Senate Square. The other buildings of importance, necessary in the new capital were also located round the square. This was constructed between 1818 and 1822. After a fire, which destroyed a great part of Turku, the medieval university was moved to Helsinki. The main building of the university completed in1832 and the library completed in 1840, were constructed on the west side of the square. There were already residential houses of burghers on the south side, and they were now fitted with new facades. One of them became the residence of the Governor-general. In the 1820s there had been a guard house with pillars supporting the terrace in front of the future church. This was soon demolished “ (Church brochure, p 4)
“Helsinki Cathedral (1852) designed by Engel is one of Helsinki’s most recognizable landmarks. It has an understated appearance and absence of images. Plans to build the church started as early as 1818, it was intended to replace a wooden church which was by then too small and in bad repair. The plan and a bas-relief of the former Ulrika Eleonora Church can be found in the paving of the north-west corner of the square where the church was situated. It was called the Nicholas Church. The name points to the Russian Tsar at the time of the building, but also to St. Nicholas. After the independence of Finland the name “Great Church” was used.
It was the main church of the Swedish-Finnish parish of Helsinki until the parish was divided in 1906. The population of the parish was by then nearly 90,000 and there were two other churches, the present “Old Church” and Johannes Church. After the division Nicholas Church became the church of the northern Finnish and Swedish parish. “
Throughout the 19th and early decades of the 20th C Russia held sway over the country despite multiple attempts by the population to move independently from the larger power. They had their own currency starting in 1860; they were the first to grant universal sufferage in 1906, allowing all people of legal age to vote in parliamentary elections, and in 1912 Finns participated in the Olympics independent of Russia. Nonetheless, between 1899-1914 there were numerous crackdowns on nationalist movements by Tsar Nicholas II. This didn’t end until WWI and by 1917 Finland can finally declare independence from foreign rule, with Helsinki as the capital. During WWII there were at least two major battles with Russian forces.
After this history lesson, I made my way down to Market Square for a ferry ride to the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress that was constructed in 1748 as a Swedish defense system against Russia. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lighthouse which doubles as the church tower on the island, has the light coming out in spurts of four, spelling an H for Helsinki in Morse Code. The island has a number of museums all relating to the fort’s history and walking paths. There are coffee and souvenir shops as well as restaurants at the major sites within the fortress walls. The public ferry leaves about every 20 minutes during the day from Market Square.
Market Square is appropriately named for all the tented booths selling trinkets, hats, gloves, scarves, as well as fruits, vegetables and fast food items, including fish. At one end of the Square, which is really a street, up on a small incline is the largest Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe. “The redbrick cathedral with golden cupolas was designed by Russian architect Alexey Gornostaev.” (Cathedral Brochure) The Uspenski Cathedral (1868) stands as a dramatic contrast to the very Protestant (1852) Cathedral in Senate Square by the German architect.
Behind the Orthodox Cathedral is a neighborhood that showcases Art Nouveau houses. Helsinki has a couple of districts with art nouveau buildings, some near the ferry docks and the Katajanokka District near Market Square and Uspenski Cathedral. Most of these structures were constructed between 1901-1910. They are reminiscent of some of the buildings in Vienna and Paris from the same time period.
The last place I had time to visit in Helsinki was the Rock Church, called Temppeliaukio. This was constructed by two brothers who won an architectural competition in 1963 with their proposal for a Church of the Rock. The church interior was blasted from the surrounding stone, with light coming from window skylights between the rock walls and copper domed ceiling. “The altar wall is a split in the rock dating back to the Ice Age. The altar table is granite, the floor polished concrete. The pews are made of birch wood. The altar crucifix, baptismal font and candelabra were forged by Kauko Moisio. There are no bells in the church, in their place, a chime melody composed by Taneli Kuusisto is played.” (Plaque on the church wall) A small organ is off to the left side and there was a rehearsal going on while I was there. The acoustics in the church were amazing. It is no wonder that the church is regularly used for both sacred and secular concerts.
There is one other museum that I visited, the Helsinki City Museum, which is a wonderful place for kids and families. The National Museum, however, was the place for better information.
I found Helsinki to be an easy city to get around. The public transportation system is excellent and the train to the airport was quick. It is an airy city with wide streets, so that even the high buildings don’t feel oppressive, when walking through the business district. On some of the smaller streets behind Market Square leading to Senate Square there are older shops that now house restaurants, coffee shops and rather expensive retail shops. The Swedish, as well as the St. Petersburg, influence comes through in a distinctly Finnish manner. Design is, after all, one of the hallmarks of contemporary Finnish culture. Street signs are in Swedish as well as Finnish. Something I found interesting and different from elsewhere was that the Finns do not accept 1 and 2 cent Euro coins. They don’t because they have a system of rounding up to the nearest 5 cents, making the lower value coins useless.
