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Helsinki

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

   Helsingin kaupunki – Helsingfors stad
   City of Helsinki


   Coat of Arms Location

   Founded            1550
   Country            Finland
   Province           Southern Finland
   Region             Uusimaa
   Sub-region         Helsinki
   Area
   - Of which land
   - Rank             185.32 km²
                      184.47 km²
                      ranked 342nd
   Population
   - Density
   - Change (year)
   - Rank             562,570 ( Jun 30 2006)
                      3,049.7 inh./km²
                      + 0.62%(from 2005)
                      ranked 1st
   Official languages Finnish, Swedish
   Urbanisation       99.9%
   Unemployment       8.9%
   City Manager       Jussi Pajunen
   Home page          http://www.hel.fi/

   Helsinki (in Finnish; listen ), Helsingfors (in Swedish; listen ) is
   the capital and largest city of Finland. It is located in the southern
   part of Finland on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, at 60°10′N 24°56′E
   by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 562,570
   (31.06.2006) . The Helsinki urban region contains the neighboring
   cities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, which are together called the
   Capital Region. This area has a total population of approximately
   992,836 citizens. The Greater Helsinki area contains several more
   neighboring cities and has a population of approximately 1,293,093 ,
   which means that one out of every four Finns lives in the Greater
   Helsinki area.

Introduction

   Helsinki is Finland's international gateway. The city is the country's
   nerve centre for business, finance, fashion, medicine, entertainment,
   media, culture and intellectual discourse. There is a large and varied
   collection of museums, galleries and performance spaces. The biggest
   subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, Helsingin
   Sanomat, is published daily out of Helsinki. The city has Finland's
   largest foreign population in terms of real numbers and percentage of
   population. There are over 130 nationalities resident in Helsinki. Of
   these, the largest group include citizens from Russia, Estonia, Sweden,
   Somalia, Serbia, China, Iraq and Germany. Currently, Helsinki finds
   itself under the spotlight of global interest during which Finland
   hosts the European Union's revolving EU presidency . The presidency
   will last for 6 months from July 1st to December 31st 2006. Helsinki
   will also host the 52nd annual Eurovision Song Contest in May 2007.

Names and etymology

   A view of the Market Square, Supreme Court of Finland, Swedish Embassy,
   Helsinki City Hall and Helsinki Cathedral in the background. The Kallio
   church tower is also visible in the background on the far right.
   Enlarge
   A view of the Market Square, Supreme Court of Finland, Swedish Embassy,
   Helsinki City Hall and Helsinki Cathedral in the background. The Kallio
   church tower is also visible in the background on the far right.

   Helsingfors is the original name of the modern city of Helsinki, and is
   still the official Swedish name for the city. However, the Finnish
   name, Helsinki (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable:
   ['helsiŋki]), has been dominant in other languages for decades. The
   Swedish name Helsingfors comes from the name of the surrounding parish,
   Helsinge (source for Finnish Helsinki) and the rapids (in Swedish:
   fors), which flowed through the original town. The name of Helsinge is
   thought to come, according to folklore, from the Swedish dwellers who
   came from the Swedish province of Hälsingland. The city is also called
   Stadi (from the Swedish word stad, meaning city) in the local slang,
   and Hesa by people who don't live in Helsinki. In some subculture
   communities, especially among heavy metal fans, the name has recently
   been humorously misspelled "Hell-sinki". Helsset is the North Sami name
   of Helsinki.

History

   Founded in 1550 as a rival to the Hanseatic city of Reval (today:
   Tallinn) by King Gustav I of Sweden, the town of Helsingfors struggled
   in its infancy. The fledging settlement was plagued by poverty, wars,
   and diseases. For a long time it remained as a small low-key coastal
   town, overshadowed by the more thriving trade centers in the Baltic
   region. Construction of the Sveaborg (today also: Suomenlinna) sea
   fortress helped to improve its status, but it was not until Russia
   defeated Sweden in the Finnish War and annexed Finland as the
   autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809, that Helsinki began to truly
   change.
   Central Helsinki in 1820 before rebuilding. Drawing by Carl Ludvig
   Engel.
   Enlarge
   Central Helsinki in 1820 before rebuilding. Drawing by Carl Ludvig
   Engel.

   To help reduce the Swedish influence, Tsar Alexander I of Russia had
   the capital moved from Turku (also Åbo) to Helsingfors. The Academy of
   Åbo, the only university in the country, was also relocated to Helsinki
   in 1827, eventually becoming the University of Helsinki. This move
   consolidated the city's new role and the following decades saw
   unprecedented growth and development for the city, creating the
   prerequisites for the birth of a modern world class capital in the 20th
   century. This transformation is highly apparent in the downtown core,
   which was rebuilt in neoclassical style to resemble St. Petersburg. As
   elsewhere, technological advancements such as railroads and
   industrialization were a key factor behind the growth.

   In the 1918 Finnish Civil War, most of Helsinki fell to the Red Guards
   along with rest of southern Finland after brief fighting in January.
   The Senate was relocated to Vaasa, although some senators and officials
   remained hiding in the capital. After the tide of war turned against
   the Red forces, German troops fighting on the same side with the
   Finnish White Guard recaptured Helsinki in April. Unlike Tampere,
   Helsinki suffered relatively little damage in the war. After the White
   victory many former Red soldiers and collaborators were confined in
   prison camps across the country. The largest, having approximately
   13,300 prisoners, was located on the former naval fortress island of
   Suomenlinna in Helsinki. Although the civil war left a considerable
   mark on the society, the standard of living in the country and the city
   began to improve in the following decade. Renowned architects such as
   Eliel Saarinen created utopistic plans for Helsinki, but they were
   never realized in their full extent.

   In the aerial bombings of the Winter War (1939-40) and the Continuation
   War (1941-44) Helsinki was attacked by Soviet bombers. Most intense air
   raids took place in the spring of 1944, when over two thousand Soviet
   planes dropped over 16,000 bombs in and around the city. However, due
   to successful air defense the city was spared from the large-scale
   destruction that many other cities in Europe under similar scale
   bombings had suffered. Only a few bombs hit populated areas.

   Although much of the first half of the 20th century was a violent
   period for Helsinki it continued to steadily develop. Modern postwar
   urbanization of the 1970s, which occurred relatively late in the
   European context, tripled the population in the metropolitan area,
   making the Helsinki metropolitan area one of the fastest growing urban
   centers in the European Union in the 1990s.

Economy

   Pohjoisranta (The Northern Shore) at Night. On the left, Uspenski
   Cathedral. The twin towers of St. John's Church and the dome of
   Helsinki Cathedral are also visible.
   Enlarge
   Pohjoisranta (The Northern Shore) at Night. On the left, Uspenski
   Cathedral. The twin towers of St. John's Church and the dome of
   Helsinki Cathedral are also visible.

   The economy of Helsinki is primarily service-based, having gradually
   moved away from heavy industry. Although, it does have strong paper,
   textiles, and shipbuilding industries. Most large Finnish companies
   have their headoffices and other important functions in the Helsinki
   metropolitan area, primarily due to international connections,
   logistics network and workforce availability. It is also the
   often-favoured choice as a location for regional headoffice of
   international companies operating in the country. Information
   technology and financing sectors form the backbone of Helsinki's
   economy.

   Helsinki metropolitan area contributes approximately one third of the
   Finnish gross domestic product. Its GDP per capita is 1.5 times higher
   than the national average, making Helsinki one of wealthiest capitals
   in Europe. In 2004, the growth in the region was 3.2%. Growth
   predictions reflect a positive outlook on the future.

   Helsinki is also known for being unique in the way that for a city its
   size there is no part of the town that could be deemed as " slum", or
   explicitly inhabited by the poor. However, there is a growing social
   inequality in the city and experts have recently warned about the
   dangers of increasing social problems. Successful integration of
   foreign immigrants into the society, infrastructure development,
   production of public services and insufficient cooperation between the
   municipalities of Helsinki conurbation area are seen as major future
   challenges for the economic development of the region.

   Helsinki is also the home for the Helsinki Stock Exchange, owned by the
   OMX corporation.

Services

Education

   Helsinki has 190 comprehensive schools, 41 upper secondary schools and
   15 vocational institutes. Half of the 41 upper secondary schools are
   private or state-owned, the other half municipal. Higher level
   education is given in eight universities (see the section
   "Universities" below) and four polytechnics.

Institutions of higher education

   Main building of the University of Helsinki.
   Enlarge
   Main building of the University of Helsinki.

Universities

     * University of Helsinki
     * Helsinki University of Technology (actually located in Espoo)
     * Helsinki School of Economics
     * Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
     * Academy of Fine Arts
     * Sibelius Academy
     * Theatre Academy
     * University of Art and Design Helsinki
     * National Defence College (Finland) (not necessarily considered a
       university)

Polytechnics

     * Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia
     * Helsinki Polytechnic Arcada
     * Helsinki Business Polytechnic (Helia)

Public transport

   In Helsinki, public transportation is mostly managed under Helsinki
   City Transport, the city's transportation authority. The diverse public
   transport system consists of street cars, light commuter rail, the
   subway, bus lines and two ferry lines. The Helsinki Metropolitan Area
   Council manages traffic to the surrounding municipalities of Espoo,
   Vantaa and Kauniainen.
   A Helsinki metro train crossing the Vuosaari metro bridge.
   Enlarge
   A Helsinki metro train crossing the Vuosaari metro bridge.

   Today, Helsinki is the only city in Finland to have streetcars or
   subway trains. There used to be two other cities in Finland with
   streetcar traffic: Turku and Viipuri (Vyborg). However, Turku abandoned
   trams in 1972 and Viipuri (at that time already part of the Soviet
   Union) abandoned them in 1957.

   The subway line, opened in 1982, was the first, and so far the only,
   subway line in all of Finland. For the first 16 years of its existence,
   the line was topologically only one straight line, but in 1998 a fork
   was added at Itäkeskus metro station, dividing the remainder of the
   line into two branches with three stations in each. The subway system
   is a very important method of transportation for commuters in the
   growing suburbs of Eastern Helsinki, and there are plans to further
   expand the system to Espoo (see Länsimetro). Due to the lack of
   agreement over financing, the project has subsequently been delayed.
   Some have suggested light-rail as an alternative to the metro. If the
   plans for automation in the system are approved, the subway will
   operate without drivers in 2010.

   Air traffic is handled from the international Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
   and Malmi Airport. Helsinki-Vantaa airport is Finland's global gateway
   with scheduled non-stop flights to such places as Bangkok, Beijing,
   Delhi, Guangzhou, Nagoya, New York, Osaka, Shanghai, Hong Kong and
   Tokyo. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle airline
   traffic routes between Western Europe and the Far East as well as
   between eastern North America and Indian subcontinent. The airport is
   located approximately 19 kilometers north of Helsinki's downtown area,
   in the neighbouring city of Vantaa, hence the name Helsinki-Vantaa.
   M/S Silja Symphony leaving from Helsinki.
   Enlarge
   M/S Silja Symphony leaving from Helsinki.

   Ferry connections to Tallinn and Stockholm are serviced by various
   companies, including Silja Line, Viking Line, SeaWind Line, Linda Line,
   Nordic Jet Line and Tallink (see Ruotsinlaiva). Finnlines
   passenger-freight ferries to Travemünde, Germany are also available.
   Copterline provides fast helicopter flights to Tallinn.

Other services

   The largest hospitals of Finland are located in Helsinki, for example
   HYKS and many private hospitals. Also police and fire departments serve
   citizens.

Politics

   Helsinki has eighty-five members in its city council. The three largest
   parties are National Coalition (25), Social Democrats (21) and Greens
   (17).

Geography

   The Climate in Helsinki.
   Enlarge
   The Climate in Helsinki.

   Helsinki spreads around a number of bays and peninsulas and over a
   number of islands. The inner city area occupies a southern peninsula,
   which is rarely referred to by its actual name Vironniemi. Population
   density in certain parts of Helsinki's inner city area is very high,
   reaching 16 494/km² in the district of Kallio, but as a whole
   Helsinki's population density of 3050/km² ranks it as quite sparsely
   populated in comparison to other European capital cities. Much of
   Helsinki outside the inner city area consists of postwar suburbs
   separated from each other by patches of forests. A narrow, ten
   kilometer long Helsinki Central Park that streches from the inner city
   to the northern border of Helsinki is an important recreational area
   for the residents.

   Some notable islands in Helsinki include Seurasaari, Lauttasaari and
   Korkeasaari – which is also the country's biggest zoo – as well as the
   fortress island of Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) and the military island of
   Santahamina.

Climate

   The city's climate is humid continental (dfb), meaning the average of
   the coldest month is no more than −3 °C. Summers are usually warm,
   although temperatures over 30 °C are uncommon. Helsinki is situated on
   approximately the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, making it the
   second northernmost capital in the world after Reykjavík, Iceland,
   hence the very short days in winter.

Architecture

   The view across summertime Kaisaniemenlahti.
   Enlarge
   The view across summertime Kaisaniemenlahti.

   Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840) designed several neo-classical buildings
   in Helsinki. He was kept in Helsinki by a unique assignment, as he was
   elected to plan a new city centre all on his own. The city became
   shallow and wide at the time when most buildings had only two or three
   floors. The central point of Engel's city plan is the Senate Square,
   surrounded by the Government's Palace, the main building of the
   University, and the enormous Cathedral, which was finished in 1852,
   twelve years after C. L. Engel's death. Engels's neo-classical plan of
   the city centre has later given Helsinki the epithet The White City Of
   The North.
   The Helsinki Cathedral (Fin. Helsingin tuomiokirkko, Swe. Helsingfors
   domkyrka). The cathedral is probably the most prominent building in the
   city, and its symbol.
   Enlarge
   The Helsinki Cathedral (Fin. Helsingin tuomiokirkko, Swe. Helsingfors
   domkyrka). The cathedral is probably the most prominent building in the
   city, and its symbol.

   Helsinki is, however, perhaps even more famous for its numerous Art
   Nouveau ( Jugend in Finnish) buildings, designed in the early 1900s and
   strongly influenced by the Kalevala, which is a very popular theme in
   the national romantic art of that era. Helsinki's Art Nouveau style is
   also featured in large residential areas such as Katajanokka and
   Ullanlinna. The master of the Finnish Art Nouveau was Eliel Saarinen
   (1873-1950), whose architectural masterpiece was the Helsinki central
   railway station.

   Helsinki also features several buildings by the world-renowned Finnish
   architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), attributed as one of the pioneers in
   functionalism. Many of Aalto's works are either loved or hated. Aalto's
   buildings, such as the headquarters of the paper company Enso and the
   concert and congress house Finlandia Hall, have sparked much debate
   amongst Helsinki's inhabitants.

   During the 1960s and 1970s many aesthetically and historically
   important houses were swiftly demolished to make room for the rapidly
   expanding city and instead houses presenting more values of
   functionalism were built. This has later been widely regarded as a bad
   move and has led to a strong protectionism of old buildings in
   Helsinki. The plans made during the era of rapid growth expected
   Helsinki to have well over one million inhabitants at the turn of the
   millennium. Much due to the strong protectionism of today there are
   still many areas left with distinctive old wooden houses, such as
   Käpylä, Kumpula, Toukola and Puu-Vallila.

   As a historical footnote, Helsinki's neoclassical buildings were often
   used as a backdrop for scenes set to take place in the Soviet Union in
   many Cold War era Hollywood movies. Some of the more notable ones are
   The Kremlin Letter (1970), Reds (1981) and Gorky Park (1983). Because
   some of the streetscapes were reminiscent of Leningrad's and Moscow's
   old buildings, they were used in the production - much to some
   residents' dismay.

Culture

   The National Opera by the Bay of Töölö
   Enlarge
   The National Opera by the Bay of Töölö

   Helsinki can also be considered Finland's culture-capital.

   The biggest historical museum in Helsinki is the National Museum of
   Finland, which displays a vast historical collection from prehistoric
   times to the 21th century. The museum building itself, a national
   romantic style neo-medieval castle, is a tourist attraction. Other
   major historical museum is the Helsinki City Museum, which introduces
   visitors to Helsinki's 500 year history. The University of Helsinki
   also has many significant museums, including the University Museum and
   the Natural History Museum.

   The Finnish National Gallery consists on three museums: Ateneum Art
   Museum for classical Finnish art, Sinebrychoff Art Museum for classical
   European art, and Kiasma Art Museum for modern art. The old Ateneum, a
   neo-renessaince palace from 19th century, is one of the city's major
   historical buildings, whereas the highly modern Kiasma is probably the
   most debated building in Helsinki.

   Helsinki has three major theatres: The Finnish National Theatre, the
   Helsinki City Theatre, and the Finland Swedish Svenska Teatern. The
   city's main musical venues are the Finnish National Opera and the
   Finlandia concert-hall. Bigger concerts and events are usually held at
   one of the city's two big ice hockey arenas: the Hartwall Areena or the
   Helsingin jäähalli. Helsinki has Finland's largest fair centre.

   Helsinki is also known for its active ICT and digital cultures scene in
   Greater Helsinki.

   Some widely renowned bands originate from Helsinki, including HIM, The
   Rasmus, The 69 Eyes, Ensiferum, and Stratovarius.

Events

     * The Helsinki Festival is an annual arts and culture festival, which
       takes place every August (including the Night of the Arts).
     * Valon Voimat "Forces of Light" is an annual winter arts festival.
     * Vappu "Vappu" is an annual carnival for students and workers.

   Helsinki is set to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, the first
   ever Eurovision Song Contest arranged in Finland.

Tourism

   Helsinki is small and intimate; lively but not bustling. Its size makes
   it easy to walk around and cafés, markets, and the nearby islands are
   its summer delights.

   Because Helsinki is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea and has many
   kilometres of coastline, most of its central districts are near the
   seaside. Helsinki is a very maritime city and is popularly called the
   daughter of the Baltic.
   Hietaniemi Beach, commonly called Hietsu.
   Enlarge
   Hietaniemi Beach, commonly called Hietsu.
   Joulukatu, Finnish for "Christmas street".
   Enlarge
   Joulukatu, Finnish for "Christmas street".

   Helsinki's coastal position makes it ideal to experience in the
   summertime from one of the many sightseeing ferries leaving from the
   port of Helsinki. Many of Helsinki's main attractions are also related
   to the sea, including the Suomenlinna naval fortress (a UNESCO World
   Heritage site) and the Seurasaari Island with its parks and open-air
   museum. Locals often spend sunny days at the Hietaniemi Beach (often
   simply called Hietsu), Helsinki's main beach in the district of Töölö.

   In the winter-time Helsinki's northern position makes it dark for most
   of the day, thus making it a cosy town with much interesting lighting,
   such as the classic Aleksanterinkatu's Christmas street (Joulukatu).
   During the coldest months of the winter it is very common for
   Helsinkians to go for walks on the frozen sea, although much caution
   must be taken. There are also many places for ice swimming along the
   coast, some with saunas.

   Air travel to Helsinki is via the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, situated in
   the neighbouring town of Vantaa, a town part of Greater Helsinki.
   Helsinki also has popular cruiseferry links with Stockholm, Sweden and
   hydrofoil and catamaran links to Tallinn, Estonia. Silja, Viking and
   Tallink are the biggest ferry operators.

   Helsinki is also the home of the Linnanmäki amusement park, which
   features five rollercoasters and many other rides, inluding the world's
   first Intamin ZacSpin rollercoaster, set to open April 2007.

Gallery

   Kustaanmiekka strait through Suomenlinna Sea Fortress.

   Helsinki Olympic Stadium Tower, offers a good view over Helsinki.

   A cast of Paavo Nurmi sculpture by Wäinö Aaltonen in Helsinki.

   Wall of Parliament House

   Helsinki Central railway station.

   Rooftops of the southern inner city districts.

   Finnish National Theatre.

   Port of Helsinki and the Helsinki Cathedral.

   The Uspenski Orthodox cathedral.

   Altar of Temppeliaukio Church that is built underground.

   The Esplanadi Park in central Helsinki.

   The Senaatintori square on a winter morning.

   Stockmann department store along the Aleksanterinkatu's Christmas
   street.

   Helsinki market square covered in snow.

   The National Museum of Finland is located in Helsinki.

   Kamppi Centre, a complex in the district of Kamppi, in the centre of
   Helsinki.

   For more pictures of Helsinki see Wikimedia Commons.

Notable natives

   Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld   1832–1901   scientist
   Helene Schjerfbeck   1862–1946   painter
   Artturi Ilmari Virtanen   1895–1973   Nobel laureate
   Ragnar Granit   1900–1991   Nobel laureate
   Mika Waltari   1908–1979   author
   Tove Jansson   1914–2001   author and creator of the Moomin characters
   Tarja Halonen   1943–   President of the Republic of Finland, 2000–2012
   Esa-Pekka Salonen   1958–   conductor and composer
   Linus Torvalds   1969–   creator of the Linux kernel

   For a more thorough list see the Wikipedia category People from
   Helsinki.

Sports

   Helsinki has a long tradition of sports, the city gained much of its
   initial international recognition during the 1952 Summer Olympics, and
   the city has since then been very open to arranging sporting events.
   Helsinki hosts fairly successful local teams in both of the most
   popular team-sports in Finland, Football and Ice-hockey. The later
   being a sport of passion for many Helsinkians, who usually take a
   stance for either of the local clubs HIFK or Jokerit. The strong
   culture of Ice-hockey has led to Helsinki becoming the birthplace of
   many legendary National Hockey League stars such as Teemu Selanne, Jari
   Kurri and Esa Tikkanen.

Olympics & other sporting events

   Helsinki was elected host-city of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but due to
   World War II they were canceled. Instead Helsinki was the host of the
   1952 Summer Olympics. The Olympics were a landmark event symbolically
   and economically for Helsinki and Finland as a whole that was
   recovering from the winter war and the continuation war fought with the
   Soviet Union.

   Helsinki was also in 1983 the first ever city to host the World
   Championships in Athletics. Helsinki also hosted the event in 2005,
   thus also becoming the first city to ever host the Championships for a
   second time.

   The Helsinki City Marathon has been held in the city every year since
   1980, usually in August.

   A Formula 3000 race through the city streets was held on May 25, 1997.

Local teams

   Club         Sport      League        Venue              Logo
   HIFK         Ice hockey SM-liiga      Helsingin jäähalli HIFK Logo
   Jokerit      Ice hockey SM-liiga      Hartwall Areena    Jokerit Logo
   HJK Helsinki Football   Veikkausliiga Finnair Stadium    HJK Helsinki Logo

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
