Helsinki
Days One & Two - The Baltics - 2024
Two days exploring all of Helsinki’s best known sites, including Helsinki Cathedral, Temppeliaukio Church, Uspenski Cathedral, and Suomenlinna.
Editor’s Comment: The terms “Baltics” and “Baltic” are complicated: geopolitically, the “Baltic states” refer to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the “Baltic region” refers to those states which border the Baltic Sea, and the “Baltic peoples” are those who speak Baltic languages, primarily Latvian and Lithuanian. I apply the term “Baltics” in this travelogue to apply to those states of Baltic region I traveled through, in this case Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
1. Senate Square
Although he is primarily known as an Emperor of Russia, Alexander II was also the Grand Duke of Finland from 1855 to 1881; he encouraged Finnish nationalism through reform and was known as “The Good Tsar” in Finland.
Early in the morning, I arrived in Helsinki’s Senate Square to begin one of my most ambitious road trip journeys yet - thirteen days across the Baltic region from Finland to Poland seeing as much as I could in between. I arrived in Helsinki the day prior, but -having been up for 24-hours in transit- I didn’t do much other than checking into my hotel achieving the surprisingly difficult goal of finding a restaurant open for dinner on a Sunday night in Helsinki’s West Harbour neighborhood - many thanks to Mount Kailash Restaurant!
I rarely opt to do free walking tours, but given my limited time in the city and lack of geographic orientation, I decided to meet up with a Red Umbrella Tours group in the AM at Senate Square. As Helsinki’s trolly system is incredibly efficient and easy-to-use, I arrived much earlier than I needed to which gave me some time to explore Senate Square and the nearby Helsinki Cathedral.
In 1812, the Finnish capital was moved from Turku to Helsinki. As part of this effort, a giant central square was constructed to serve as the city’s unofficial political and cultural center. As the gigantic Government Palace building was constructed on the square’s east end and housed the Finnish senate, the area became known as Senate Square. The other two major structures in Senate Square besides the Government Palace (which now houses the Prime Minster’s offices) are the University of Helsinki, and Helsinki Cathedral.
Photographer’s Comment: You’ll notice there isn’t a photograph of the Senate Square in its entirety, something easily achievable from atop the high steps in front of Helsinki Cathedral. For better or worse, a legion of power washing trucks descended upon the square which not only made for an undesirable aesthetic, but also resulted in water spray and debris being flown about. In fact, in the above photograph the statue of Alexander II is blocking one such truck, hence the strange framing and angle.
2. Helsinki Cathedral #1
Helsinki Cathedral was built between 1830 and 1852 in honor of Nicholas I, Grand Duke of Finland, who passed away only three years after its completion; in fact, it was known as St. Nicholas' Church until Finnish independence from Russia in 1917.
Having about twenty minutes to spare, I decided to take some time to explore the Helsinki Cathedral (despite knowing full well the walking tour was inevitably going to head inside there.) Visually, it is a pretty striking building and commands a prominent place in Helsinki’s skyline.
3. Helsinki Cathedral #2
The exterior of Helsinki Cathedral features statues of the Twelve Apostles - here we see Bartholomew (left), John (center), and Matthew (right).
Construction on Helsinki Cathedral began in 1830, some 18 years after the capital moved from Turku and Emperor Alexander I of Russia declared that two cathedrals -one Lutheran, one Orthodox- was to be built in the city. It was built in the neoclassical style and designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, who designed many buildings in Helsinki at that time. It was completed in 1852.
4. Helsinki Cathedral #3
The Helsinki Cathedral’s main dome was renovated in the early 2000s and features four gigantic clocks facing north, south, east, and west.
Looking up upon the massive dome of the cathedral, it occurred to me that three of the dome’s four clocks are black-and-white while the one facing Senate Square is black-and-teal. I’ve tried and tried to figure out why that is, but to no avail.
5. Helsinki Cathedral #4
Helsinki Cathedral’s interior is laid out in a Greek cross design.
Walking into Helsinki Cathedral you’ll notice the church is incredibly bright but also unostentatious, particularly for a prominent cathedral at the center of a large European capital. This is likely due to the Cathedral's association with Lutheranism, whose interiors typically avoid many of the ornate flourishes of Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, for example….
6. Helsinki Cathedral #5
…That's not to say the interior is boring by any means! There are plenty of architectural details to admire, and the organ, while modest in size, is a sight to behold.
7. Helsinki Cathedral #6
Helsinki Cathedral is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, one of two national churches of Finland (the other being the Orthodox Church of Finland) and was established in 1809 when it separated from the Church of Sweden.
8. Helsinki Cathedral #7
If this façade looks familiar, you may know it from the music video of Darude’s “Sandstorm” which was filmed in and around Senate Square.
Wrapping up my quick visit to the Helsinki Cathedral, I made my way back down to the Alexander II statue to meet up with the free walking tour.
Here, our group (perhaps a dozen strong) got a short lecture about the history of Finland, its past association with both Finland and Russia, its independence, and its complicated relationship with Germany during World War II. I will explore this in more detail when I cover Suomenlinna below, and I won’t bore you to tears a second time now. The first stop outside the Senate Square was -you guessed it- Helsinki Cathedral!
9. Pohjoissatama Harbour #1
The Relandersgrund is a former lightvessel (a ship used as a mobile lighthouse) converted into a restaurant.
Making our way from Senate Square, we made a quick stop at Pohjoissatama Harbour to admire this small port.
10. Pohjoissatama Harbour #2
Four of Finland’s tallest five buildings can be found in the Kalasatama neighborhood of Helsinki.
Pohjoissatama features both leisure craft as well as tall sailing ships.
11. Uspenski Cathedral #1
We then walked past Uspenski Cathedral, but -owing to it being closed on Mondays off-season- we were unable to go inside. Fret not, I went the next day as you will see.
12. South Harbour #1
The ferris wheel at South Harbour features the world’s only sauna ferris wheel car. So there’s that.
We then made our way to South Harbour, and then across Market Square. I had intended to spend some time in Market Square the following day after visiting Suomenlinna; however, I enjoyed my stay there so much I simply ran out of time!
13. Helsinki Central Library Oodi #1
Oodi (meaning “ode”) is a visually striking modern library near Helsinki Central Station opened in 2018 and housing around 100,000 books.
Making our way past the Central Station, we made our final stop of the walking tour at Helsinki Central Library Oodi, one of the world’s most interesting libraries.
14. Helsinki Central Library Oodi #2
Despite being three stories tall, only Oodi’s top floor is dedicated to books; the rest of the building functions as a community center, with musical instruments, conference rooms, 3d printers, and even video game consoles available for public use.
I didn’t make it up to the top floor where the library book section is (I don’t like being disruptive in such places), but I was told there are library book retrieval robots at work there!
15. Helsinki Central Library Oodi #3
Oodi features a giant double-helix central staircase.
It was here the walking tour ended. Overall, I’d certainly recommend joining the walking tour if you have limited time in the city as it covers most of the main highlights besides Temppeliaukio Church and Suomenlinna. Otherwise, Helsinki is a pretty simple city to navigate and I didn’t have much difficulty thereafter finding my way around town. I will caution information placards about various sites are extremely limited, so if you want to know details about the places you’re visiting that is certainly another advantage of the walking tour.
16. Temppeliaukio Church #1
Temppeliaukio Church -alternatively known as the Rock Church- is a Lutheran church opened in 1969 and was cut into a large granite deposit.
About a ten minute walk away from Oodi is Temppeliaukio Church, undoubtedly one of the world’s most stunning (and perhaps famous) churches. Photos of this place do not do it justice, admittedly, and you just need to visit to really appreciate it.
17. Temppeliaukio Church #2
The Temppeliaukio Church is capped with a gigantic copper dome and features a 3,000+ pipe organ.
Temppeliaukio Church is sort of a contradiction - it is intentionally understated (consistent with the architectural aesthetic of Lutheran churches) but also incredibly unique and powerful architecturally. I’d say in this way it rivals any architectural achievement of Frank Lloyd Wright.
18. Temppeliaukio Church #3
The alter of Temppeliaukio Church is literally mounted on a slab of rock; also, the walls -which were intended to be covered- were left exposed because the acoustics were exceptional.
19. Temppeliaukio Church #4
(Click here to view a full-size version of this panorama.)
Temppeliaukio Church receives about 500,000 visitors per year.
At the time, entrance to the church was € 8; factoring in how many visitors it receives a year, this building no doubt serves as a massive financial windfall for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
20. Kamppi Chapel
Opened in 2012, Kamppi Chapel serves as a place of solitude and quiet contemplation in one of Finland’s busiest and most hectic neighborhoods.
After leaving Temppeliaukio Church, I made my way back downtown to board a trolley back to my hotel. Along the way, I made a stop at the Kamppi Chapel. Despite belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the contemplation space inside is non-denominational and open to anyone. Entrance is free, but interior photography is prohibited (a rule that was widely disregarded by several visitors during my time there, I hate to admit.)
21. Pohjoissatama Harbour #3
After a very relaxing evening (built-in to the schedule to both help me adjust further to time zone changes, but also in anticipating of a busy travel day), I set out for Uspenski Cathedral. If you’ll recall, the church was closed the day prior and it was all too easy for me to stop in before heading to Suomenlinna.
22. South Harbour #2
The Stora Enso Headquarters Building (white building at the far left, commonly known as the “Sugar Cube”) is one of the world’s most controversial buildings as it replaced the neo-renaissance Norrmén House which stood there until it was dismantled in 1960.
Uspenski Cathedral has a pleasant view over South Harbour and the Market Square. You can see the generally loathed Stora Enso Headquarters Building (left), as well as the ferry to Suomenlinna (immediately to the Enso Headquarters Building’s right) and the Helsinki Tourist Information Pavilion (brown structure to the right of that).
Photographer’s Comment: Sorry if tilt-shift photo effects are not your thing, but I figured I’d give it a try with this one. Hard for me to say 100% if the effect is totally convincing (since I took the photograph), but I think it came out pretty good.
23. Uspenski Cathedral #2
Uspenski Cathedral was constructed during the 1860s to replace the smaller Holy Trinity Church.
Uspenski Cathedral is a gorgeous Eastern Orthodox church with incredible artwork on the iconostasis…
24. Uspenski Cathedral #3
Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Eastern Orthodox church in northern Europe.
…and on its walls and ceiling, which underwent a renovation in 2015.
Two more photographs of Uspenski’s Cathedral interior follow.
25. Uspenski Cathedral #4
26. Uspenski Cathedral #5
27. Uspenski Cathedral #6
Uspenski Cathedral was constructed from 700,000 bricks source in part from the demolished Bomarsund Fortress, a Russian fortress on Åland destroyed during the Crimean War.
After departing Uspenski Cathedral, I boarded the ferry to Suomenlinna where I spent most of Day Two.
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Now back to the travelogue!
28. Ferry to Suomenlinna #1
The ferry to Suomenlinna is part of the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL), meaning your fare is included in any HSL multi-day pass as if it were a trolly or train.
The ferry to Suomenlinna departs from Helsinki’s South Harbour every 15 minutes or so, and the journey to the islands takes about 15 minutes. Along the way, you pass by several smaller islands as well as experience an excellent view across Helsinki.
Three more photographs from the Suomenlinna ferry follow.
29. Ferry to Suomenlinna #2
30. Ferry to Suomenlinna #3
31. Ferry to Suomenlinna #4
32. Suomenlinna #1
The Swedish Empire began construction on the fortress of Sveaborg (now known as Suomenlinna) on eight islands outside of Helsingfors (modern day Helsinki) in 1748.
Suomenlinna has a long history which I will do my best to cover here. As a starting point, we can't understand Suomenlinna without understanding the relationship between Sweden and Russia in the 18th century.
In 1700 the Swedish Empire was the prominent power in Northern Europe, having control over all of modern day Finland, most of modern day Estonia, as well as parts of modern Norway, Lithuania, Russia, and even Germany. It was ruled by the teenager Charles XII, whom a coalition of the Tsardom of Russia, Denmark-Norway, and Saxony considered vulnerable to attack. This was the casus belli for the Great Northern War, which lasted from 1700 until 1721.
The Swedish were defeated, which had many results: Charles XII's death, the dissolution of the Swedish Empire, the establishment of the Russian Empire under Peter the Great, and the ceding of territory from Sweden. Arguably the most important of these territorial concessions was the area around the Gulf of Finland and soon the Russian Empire established a new capital (St. Petersburg) from which it could project naval power westward.
In 1741, the Swedish fought an ill-advised war against Russia to try and reclaim their lost territory; they lost, and realized that their fortifications near the Russian Empire were weak. As a result of this, Suomenlinna was constructed.
In 1808, the Russian Empire captured the whole of modern Finland during the Finnish War (an offshoot of the Napoleonic Wars) and, by extension, the Sveaborg fortress. I’ll talk a bit more about the Russia Empire’s tenure on the site a bit more below, as well as the islands’ activities during the history of the modern Finnish state.
Hopefully you’ll understand this prelude being necessary for me to say that this is an image of the islands’ trading block established by the Russian Empire during their occupation.
Editor’s Comment: Usually, I will take cellphone photos of signage at various locations I visit, but -for some reason- I forgot to take a photograph of the sign nearby the Russian trading block. I scoured the internet and -lo-and-behold- Dr. Galen Frysinger had a photograph of the sign in his travelogue from 2007. Dr. Frysinger’s amazing website, along with the one of Bernard Cloutier, really inspired me to travel, photograph, and set up an informative travel website in the hopes that maybe I could inspire the next generation to see the world and learn. Dr. Frysinger passed away in late 2022, while Bernard Cloutier passed away in 2011, but their memories continue to live on.
33. Suomenlinna #2
The Suomenlinna Church occupies one of the islands’ high points and -as such- doubles as a lighthouse.
Since I didn't get into it much in the last post, I'm going to cover a bit about Suomenlinna's geography.
I mentioned Suomenlinna consists of eight islands. In total, this constitutes about 80 hectares or 200 acres of area. When you visit by ferry today, you can visit five of these islands as they are all connected. A casual look at a tourist map may lead you to believe there are only four, but two of the islands -Kustaanmiekka and Susisaari- were connected by a land bridge during the Russian Empire's period of occupation. These two islands, along with Iso Mustasaari- make up the bulk of the area frequented by tourists today as they house the islands' key sights.
When you arrive at Suomenlinna, you disembark the ferry on Iso Mustasaari adjacent to one of the island's high fortress walls. Passing through the nearby gate, you are immediately in front of the Russian trading block (the previous photograph) and the Suomenlinna Church.
The Suomenlinna Church has a pretty neat history. It was constructed as an Eastern Orthodox church in 1854, also during the period of the Russian Empire's occupation. The original construction does not resemble the church today, as it featured one large onion dome and four smaller onion domes on its corners, an architectural style very common in Russian churches (think St. Basil's in Moscow). It featured an exceptionally large bell, which is still located on site, as well as a perimeter fence made of cannons and large chains (again, please see the previous photograph.)
Upon gaining independence from Russia in 1918, Finland converted the church into an Evangelical Lutheran church and removed the four small domes. Extensive renovations in the 1920s resulted in the church's contemporary appearance.
34. Suomenlinna #3
Suomenlinna welcomes around one million visitors per year.
Accessibility to Suomenlinna as well as your options a visitor will vary significantly depending on the time of year you come. For example, there are six museums in Suomenlinna, but only the Suomenlinna Museum and Military Museum are open year-round. I visited just before the beginning of the peak season (May is when many attractions open fully for the year, and June is when guided tours are offered), so my options a fraction of what they would have been a few days later after April’s end. That said, crowds were much smaller but the weather still made for a pleasant visiting experience.
There are plenty of restaurants and cafes on the island, as well as a few hotels and even a youth hostel if you wish to spend the evening. Fun fact: Suomenlinna has several hundred year-round residents.
My recommendation for an off-season visit or a visit of just a few hours would be to follow the so-called "Blue Route", which strings together the UNESCO's World Heritage Site's key locations. In season, you can still use the Blue Route as a guide, tacking on visits to museums or other open attractions.
Here are some figures in the windows of the former telegraph station you'll pass by on the Blue Route. Another similar photograph follows.
35. Suomenlinna #4
36. Suomenlinna #5
As an island fortress, you can imagine Suomenlinna's harbor has been an integral part of its existence. The harbor is divided into two parts: the wet dock -which is currently used for the loading and unloading of goods, some water buses which run during the summer months, and a guest marina where visitors can dock their own boats- and a dry dock.
The dry dock is one of the oldest in Europe and has had an interesting history itself. First constructed by the Swedish in the 1750s, it served as the base of operations for their naval fleet in the region as well as a shipbuilding station. After Finnish Independence, some of Finland's first seaplanes were built there, and it served as a submarine pen. Shipbuilding operations resumed after World War II, and it is now dedicated to the building and repair of wooden sailing shops in the old style.
The harbor area is quite peaceful and is a good middle point during any visit.
37. Suomenlinna #6
The Suomenlinna Museum (building at the right) is also located along the harbor and is worth a visit if you have the time to spare.
38. Suomenlinna #7
The submarine Vesikko opened as a museum on Suomenlinna in 1973.
One of the more unexpected things you might see at Suomenlinna is the submarine Vesikko. How Vesikko came to find its permanent home here is a bit of a long story, so bear with me.
After World War I, the Germans were prohibited from building or operating certain weapons of war, such as submarines. As such, they contracted or established front companies in various foreign countries to design and ultimately build the prototypes for what would become the new U-boat fleet.
The first of the Type II U-boat prototypes -small coastal submarines intended for the training of future U-boat crews as well as commercial operations- was designed by one such front company in the Netherlands and one model -Vesikko- was built in the 1930s in Finland. Once the prototype was validated (Germany ultimately built 50 models, by the way), it was purchased by the Finnish Navy. It saw action during the Winter and Continuation Wars with the Soviet Union. It was one of five submarines in the Finnish fleet during this period.
After the conclusion of World War II, Finland was forbidden to have submarines; it sold four submarines for salvage, but Vesikko was retained in the hopes Finland would one day be granted permission to have submarines again. When this didn't happen, its ownership was transferred to the Military Museum and it was moved to Suomenlinna. After an arduous restoration process, it opened as a museum, as mentioned, in 1973. Do note the museum is only open during the summer months.
39. Suomenlinna #8
During the time of Swedish and Russian control of the fortress, the Finns referred the complex as Viapori.
I bit earlier, I covered the history of Suomenlinna until the time of the occupation of the site by the Russian Empire. A quick recap: the Swedish Empire established a fortress called Sveaborg on eight islands outside of Helsingfors (modern Helsinki) around 1750 to try and quell an expanding Tsarist Russia (soon after, the Russian Empire.) After a series of conflicts, the Swedish lost territory in modern day Finland, culminating in the loss of Sveaborg during the Finnish War.
To expand on this, the Russian Empire conquered Helsingfors in 1808 and set its sights on modern-day Suomenlinna. After a two-month siege, and despite the islands' fortifications holding, Sveaborg was surrendered.
During Russia's occupation, the fort's logistical structures were expanded but the fortifications remained mostly unchanged. Nearly half a century later, a combined Anglo-French fleet bombarded the fort during the Crimean War in 1855, but were unable to conquer it. Realizing fortifications were weak along the southern and western parts of the island, additional gun emplacements were installed.
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Suomenlinna was given to the new Finnish state and given its current name, meaning Castle of Finland. After serving for over half-a-century as a Finnish military base, it was turned over for civilian use in 1973. The Finnish Naval Academy still operates just west of the present-day ferry landing, the only remnant of the islands' military past (and can be seen in photograph #31 above.)
Four more photographs of the fortifications follow.
40. Suomenlinna #9
The King’s Gate was the main entrance to Sveaborg and was constructed in 1753 so the King of Sweden, Adolf Frederick, could access the site by boat.
41. Suomenlinna #10
42. Suomenlinna #11
43. Suomenlinna #12
At an absolute minimum, you would be well-served to spend at least a half-day on Suomenlinna; this will cover the Blue Route and a rest for a meal. If you wish to explore all of the museums the islands have to offer, I’d certainly recommend a full day.
Unfortunately, I did not have any time to spare as my ferry to Tallinn, Estonia, was departing in the early evening and I still needed to get back to my hotel to collect my luggage. This also meant I didn’t have time to explore the Market Square, as I mentioned earlier. There is a good chance I will be back in Helsinki one day so I didn’t fret this too much.
I took the MyStar ferry of Tallink across to Estonia. Not a terrible ride, there just wasn’t any real opportunity for photographs since the top deck is surrounded by fairly high walls. All the same, it was a pleasant enough journey and the two hours sailed by (pun intended.) I checked into my hotel near the port and got some much-needed sleep.
