Helsinki

The following is the presentation given this morning by Ada, one of the most active participants of the English for Travel course.

                                                           H E L S I N K I

I have chosen Helsinki, the capital of Finland, for the presentation because it struck me for its order and organization.

 

I went to Helsinki for a few days last summer to visit the city, naturally visiting its most famous monuments. I've visited other cities in Northern Europe, but Helsinki truly amazed me.

I liked Helsinki and this country for its organization, the welfare system, and the tranquillity of the people, both inside and outside.

 

Finland is part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, borders Russia, and was part of Russia until the early 1900s.

Finland's climate is continental, cold, with very long winters, especially in the north and inland areas of the country, less cold and snowy in the south.

 

Finland is the happiest country in the world, this is what the United Nations Report says 2026, an annual report that considers various factors: life expectancy, social support, freedom, ability to rely-count on others, and for the low level of corruption.

Finland is not very populous.  It has a little more than 5 million inhabitants.

 The population has always been concentrated in the south of the country, especially around Helsinki, because of the less cold climate.

 It has two national languages, Finnish and Swedish. The majority of the population speaks Finnish, with a small part speaking Swedish. In the 19th century, Finland was not an independent state; it was a Russian Grand Duchy. It gained its independence in 1917. 

HELSINKI STATION

DEPARTMENT STORE

Visiting the city, some buildings and constructions seemed to me to be influenced by Russian style, in size and linear appearance.   

 

A strange thing is the statue of Alexander II in the central square of the city, but there is a particular reason, the Finns left the statue of Tsar Alexander II as a sign of gratitude, because during his reign he let them speak their language, he did not deprive them of this sign of identity.

  

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and is the only Nordic country to have adopted the euro as its currency.

 

 

  The national flag features a blue cross on a white background. According to ancient tradition, the flag was not made by men, but fell from the sky during the important Battle... The shape of the cross appears in the flags of other Nordic nations: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland. Finland's symbolic colours are blue and white. Blue represents the many lakes and the sky, and white represents snow.

Helsinki is home to the parliament, the government, and seven universities. Helsinki is a very modern city overlooking the Baltic Sea, home to about a tenth of the country's population.

 

TRANSPORT: You can get around Helsinki using the public transportation system, which includes trams, metro, and buses. It's also pleasant to explore the city on foot or by bicycle.

                                        WELFARE SYSTEM           

There is a strong social safety net that guarantees decent living conditions and meets citizens' basic needs: universal healthcare, early childhood education, free primary education, accessible secondary education, strong workers' rights and generous pensions, long-term unemployment benefits, rent subsidies, and food subsidies.

With a single document, a single card, Finns can access the entire network of public services: healthcare, schools, libraries, museums, regional and national offices and much more.

                                        MAIN ATTRACTIONS

 Helsinki Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Esplanadi Park, and the numerous islands surrounding the city.

               

H. CATHEDRAL is the Lutheran cathedral, in the beautiful Senate Square.

      

TEMPPELIAUKIO CHURCH – the church  in  the  rock

The project was presented at the beginning of the last century, but it was postponed several times.

The clients had chosen Temppeliaukio zone as the site for the church, and to utilize the nearby hill. They also wanted to preserve the nearby rocky hill and build the church directly within the rock, but the project was postponed several times, partly due to First & Second World War. The work was completed in the late 1960s.

 CENTRAL  LIBRARY

    

CENTRAL   LIBRARY -I was amazed by its services, which go beyond book lending. A few are on display in the library rooms; most are located in the library's basement.

Books can be requested online and picked up at the applicant's local library.

It is shaped like a ship, with various floors. On the top floor, a series of spiral steps forms a kind of SQUARE, where people can stop, meet, study, chat, write, read, organize and plan shared activities, relax... In short, while in central and southern Europe people spend many hours in many months of the year in outdoor spaces, squares, and parks, here, because it is very cold for many months of the year, people naturally need to gather together without suffering from the cold, and as a warm place, they can choose the library, and so they created a sort of internal SQUARE. It is a place for meetings, for training courses, for education, even in the arts, there’re many spaces available for lessons and workshops, in painting, music, design, fashion, tailoring, printing... by requesting expert lessons, some free, others at very low cost. Rooms can be booked for conferences, work meetings, and for musical recordings for individuals or groups.

It all stems from the idea that everyone can learn throughout their life, even when their working life ends. It seems like a beautiful philosophy to me.

And lastly, there is an area dedicated to children to play together during the long winters, as well as listen to fairy tales and stories, dramatizing them with experts made available.

BIRCH TREE/MUSIC TREE

THE MUSIC TREE, a special tree in honour of Finland's most famous composer, Jean Sibelius, is made of welded and polished steel tubes, some half-open. Why half-open ?Guess why... because in the park, in the woods, and in other places, we can perceive so many sounds and noises, but if we pay attention to whom, to what? It depends…Everyone pays attention based on his interests and experiences. We make sounds meaningful for us, if we are willing to perceive them. This happens to us often, and the Tree of Music is meant to remind us of this.  The Finns call it the BirchTree, although some call it the Music Tree because some of its pipes are partially open. I like to call it the Music Tree.

ESPLANADI  PARK- A green oasis where people gather to relax, picnic, and enjoy cultural events. The sea surrounding Helsinki offers opportunities for water activities, such as sailing and kayaking, making the city an ideal place for nature lovers.

  FINNISH CUISINE- Finns use local products, such as fish, meat, dairy products, potatoes, and berries. To withstand the harsh climate during the cold months, they consume warm foods. Typical Finnish dishes include vegetable, meat, fish, or mushroom soups, reindeer stews, reindeer carpaccio, and elk carpaccio, they are all very expensive. Another famous dish is elk meatballs served with lingonberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gherkins. The symbolic fish of Finland are herring and salmon. Baltic herring is also widely consumed. A national symbol, herring is cooked in a variety of ways and is also a typical street food dish found at various markets.

Salmon with mashed potatoes

Elk meatballs served with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes