SENATE PLACE

Head for Place du Sénat for a guided stroll. Finland, a Swedish province for almost six hundred years, came under Russian domination following the war of 1808-1809. Almost all of Helsinki, built of wood, was destroyed by fire during the conflict. On the orders of Tsar Alexander ^I, the center of the future capital of the Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire was designed as a work of art. At the time, Finland was extremely rural. The very low level of urbanization, with the exception of a few towns scattered along the west and southeast coasts, attests to a certain provincialism. In this respect, Helsinki's acquisition of capital status marks a major turning point.

Senate Square is the work of two men: Johan Albrecht Ehrenström and Carl Ludvig Engel.

The north side of Senate Square is dominated by the white Lutheran Cathedral. From the top of the staircase, the view of the southern harbor (Eteläsatama) and surrounding streets is splendid.

To the right of the square, opposite the cathedral, the Government Palace, one of Engel's major works completed in 1822, houses the Senate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Prime Minister's office is located on the second floor, at the corner of Aleksanterinkatu. The colonnade over the main entrance conceals one of the most beautiful Empire-style interiors. At the far end of the building is Helsinki's oldest public clock. Unfortunately, this area is closed to the public.

On the left, Senate Square is flanked by the main building of the former University of Finland, transferred to Helsinki by Tsarist decree after the great fire of Turku in 1827. The façade has the same structure as the Governor's Palace. However, much of the university was destroyed in the bombing raids of 1944, including the main concert hall and works of art.

Behind the cathedral, in the Unioninkatu, the small Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, also by Engel, houses several fine old icons, including the Virgin of Smolensk. Also in Unioninkatu, the magnificent university library (Yliopiston Kirjasto), with its frescoed ceiling, is one of Engel's finest works. Open to the public, its lavish interior is matched by its splendid yellow façade, adorned with a majestic Corinthian colonnade.

At the center of the square stands the statue of Alexander II, assassinated in 1881 by an anarchist group, created by Walter Runeberg in 1894 (son of the famous writer Johan Ludvig Runeberg). It was during the reign of Alexander II that the Duchy of Finland acquired a large measure of autonomy, hence the special place it holds in the memory of the city's inhabitants.

To the south, Senate Square is also lined with the former residences of Helsinki's merchant bourgeoisie. Among these early ^19th-century mansions, note the pretty little grey-blue house built for the powerful businessman Sederholm, which today houses a children's museum of Helsinki history. Maison Kiseleff, on the corner of Unionkatu, is home to many of the chic boutiques that make up the touristy Baazar Kiseleff. Helsinki also has a touch of St. Petersburg about it... In fact, the Finnish capital has been used as a location for a number of films, the action of which was supposed to take place in the city built by order of Peter the Great in 1703.

Let's continue our stroll behind the magnificent Lutheran Cathedral, in Snellmaninkatu Street, home to the Bank of Finland, erected in 1882. A stone's throw away, note the metal-welded fountain by Eila Hiltunen (designer of the Sibelius Monument ). Opposite the Bank of Finland stands a statue of Johan Wilhelm Snellman (1806-1881), a remarkable ^19th-century Finnish statesman who took the initiative in minting a Finnish currency distinct from the rouble. The latter, by Emil Wikström, also sculpted the frieze of the nearby House of Orders (Mariankatu 5), designed by Gustaf Nyström and restored to house the state's salons d'honneur. Completed in 1891, it serves as a meeting place for the commoner orders during the national assizes of the orders. Nyström was also responsible for many of Helsinki's public buildings, such as the National Archives (Rauhankatu 17), whose oldest document dates back to 1316. Continuing along Unioninkatu, take a look at the Faculty of Humanities, housed in one of Helsinki's oldest hospital buildings.

Continuing along Unioninkatu, we reach the University Botanical Garden and the large Kaisaniemi Park (Unioninkatu 44). Further on, take Liisankatu Street to the end and cross the beautiful Kruununhaka district, where the sea and quayside come into view. Once you reach Pohjoisranta, you'll see some of the tallest buildings of the late ^19th and early ^20th centuries. An arm of land connects with Tervasaari, the ^17th-century site of merchants' tar stores. This area, now restored as a park, is one of the locals' favorite places for a stroll.

Just across the square is the exceptional (and free) Helsinki City Museum: don't miss it (especially with children).