Helsinki is a fairly young city, founded in 1550 by the Swedes. In 1812, it became the capital of Finland, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire. The kings rebuilt the city as a miniature St. Petersburg.
Helsinki will be especially interesting to the residents of St. Petersburg and the whole former USSR. This is the only example of a big city that went its own way after 1917, and not after 1990.
The main problem of the city is that it has no tourist recognition. After Western Europe, and even after Stockholm, Helsinki seemed to us gloomy and gray.
The city is flat, so do not expect the picturesque landscapes. Even in flat Athens and Nice there are a couple of high hills with panoramic views.
Though there are many promenades, green areas and public spaces, it is very convenient for walking. True, during two full days we did not a lot, did not visit islands and the Cathedral, so we will come again.
Started in the new Jatkasaari district, where we spent the night. Until 2008 here was a cargo port terminal and now construction of modern residential and office quarters is ongoing. It is planned that 17,000 people will live here.
Most of the buildings are residential. Recently, due to rising prices, they are being built higher and higher. But this is a pan-European trend: Vienna has already reached 9 floors.
There is no parking, the nearest one is 550 meters away. You can enter the parking lot only with a ticket that many people leave in the car. We saw a man who ran 550 meters to the reception desk, as he could not enter the parking and was late for the plane.
Entrance to the parking lot is under the foot bridge.
There is a transparent pool on the roof, which is visible from below and which is actively used by the hotel in ads. In reality, this is a large bathtub with at least 10 (!) people inside. It’s impossible to swim there, you take a photo and get out.
Next we went for a walk along one of the embankments. Since Helsinki stands on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, there are a lot of embankments in the city.
Two wooden buildings located on the islands are the Art Nouveau villas built in 1899 and 1900. Currently, they have restaurants which can be visited by the ferry.
There are more expensive VIP cabins and even one cabin with a sauna. During our visit, some daredevil used it in a 30-degree heat. He was even filmed by television.
Also we went into the new library building. Although it is not only a library, but a large public space for parents with children, hobby rooms and a cafe.
The library is located in a rather strange place. The buildings of various institutions were built here: a museum, a palace of congresses, a house of music, and between them a large and empty park was set up. Such a layout is typical for the republics of the former USSR or Berlin, but not for Western Europe or Scandinavia.
Also visited one of the most unusual places in Helsinki - Temppeliaukio Church, built in 1969. The church was cut down in a rock, right in the middle of the city blocks. Such rocks are common in Scandinavia, in Stockholm they are at every corner. You can walk freely on the roof, since it’s just a rock.
In the city center, many streets look like typical Kyiv, our native city. Just select any intersection and look at google street view, it will be a copy of a typical street in Kyiv.
But what is curious, even after becoming independent, Finland continued to built ugly soviet houses. Due to such a variety of architectural styles, Helsinki is not felt like a holistic city, neighboring Stockholm looks much more interesting and picturesque.
This architecture is common in northern Sweden and Finland, where the climate is severe. But we were sad to see such buildings in the very center of Helsinki.
For two full days in Helsinki, we did not find something special how the city differes from others. Many famous cities have some symbols and famous views that can be seen in the advertising booklets. Are there such a views in Helsinki? May be only the cathedral, though it is not so famous.
We will remember Helsinki for its excellent infrastructure, modern architecture (which is not much), good parks and public spaces.
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