Helsingfors – daughter of the Baltic Sea

 

‘Helsingfors'( Helsinki , in Finnish) is the capital city of Finland and it lies on the coast of the Finland Gulf . It is an international city and it has been the capital of Finland since 1812. Henlsinki's current population is about 565,186, but if you consider the total population of Helsinki region which includes the neighboring suburban cities Vantaa and Espoo , the population will be about one million. Helsinfors is the administrative center of Finland and it has wide variety of galleries, museums and hotels. Also, Helsingfors is the headquarters of many major companies.

 

There are many neo-classical buildings in Helsingfors. Helsingfors was founded by King Gustav Vasa who ruled Sweden and he used Helsingfors as a trading post. During a war in 1809, Russia annexed Finland to its empire and they made Helsingfors, the capital city of Finland . The Czar rebuilt the city with the help of an architect Carl Ludwig Engel. Engel built a new city centre and the city became wide and low when the buildings had only few floors. The central point of the city is Senate Square which is enclosed by the Government's Palace, now the focal building of the Helsingfors University , and the huge Cathedral.

 

Helsingfors is much famous for its arty buildings, which were built by the influence of a trendy theme of national romantic art of that period. Helsingfors central railway station, which is a master piece of architecture, was also built during that period. Helsingfors also has several buildings built by the famous architect Alvar Aalto, a Finnish inhabitant. His buildings always created much debate among people of Helsingfors. He built the headquarters of Enso, a paper company and also the congress house named Finlandia Hall. The biggest museum in Helsingfors is the National Museum of Finland in which you can find a collection from ancient times to the 21 st century. The museum building itself is a piece of architecture built during the neo-medieval period and it is a popular tourist destination.

 

Helsingfors climate is humid and the average temperature of the coldest month is no more than -3 o Celsius. Summers are pleasant and warm, and daily maximum temperature lies between 18-26 o C and it never goes above 30 o C. Helsingfors is situated in almost the same latitude of Alaska , hence it has very short days in winter. But, the average temperatures are definitely higher than other surrounding places due to the favorable sea currents.

 

Helsingfors is located on the shore of the Baltic Sea and hence has a lengthy coastline as the majority of its central districts are near the seashore. Because of its coastal position, it is a good idea to experience sight seeing through ferries in summer which leaves the port frequently. During the extreme cold months of winter, the inhabitants of Helsingfors go for a walk on the frozen sea, though much caution has to be taken. There are many isolated places for ice swimming along the shore and some even have saunas. Many major attractions of Helsingfors are related to sea and hence popularly known as the ‘daughter of the Baltic'.