History:

• 12th century: the area on the southern coast of Finland was under Swedish rule
• 1550 founded by the Swedish king <1001> Gustav I. Wasa} <17> 1710 Pestepidemi a large part of the inhabitants died
• From 1713 - 1721 and 1741 - 1743 under Russian occupation
• 1808: conquered by Russian troops during the <1002> Russian-Swedish War
• 1812: Tsar Alexander I decreed Helsinki by decree to the new capital «until then Turku was the capital on the west coast». December 6, 1917: With the attainment of Finland´s sovereignty, Helsinki became the capital of the new state. In 1952, 1952 hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics }
• 1975: First Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe «CSCE» in Finlandia Hall
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Attractions:

• Finlandia-Hall The congress and concert hall made of white Carrara-Marm. or on the south bank of the Tölöbucht is the landmark of Helsinki
• Temppeliaukion Kirkko «rock church»: It was blown up in the granite rock and completed in 1969.. The huge dome of glass and a copper spiral rests on the rock walls.. Particularly noteworthy is exceptional acoustics, which makes every concert a true sound experience..
• Uspenski Cathedral The red-brick cathedral is considered the largest and most important Russian Orthodox church in Western Europe.. It was inaugurated in 1868..
• Helsinki Cathedral: Lutheran-Protestant church, built from 1830 to 1852 in neoclassical style.. It was designed by Carl Engel, the eminent German-Finnish architect..
• Sibelius Monument: In honor of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius «* 1865, † 1957».. It consists of more than 600 steel tubes, weighs 24 tons and has a circumference of almost 9 meters..
• Helsinki City Hall: Formerly a hotel, today it serves as the seat of government.. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city and, like the Helsinki Cathedral, was designed by Carl Ludwig Engel..
• Havis Amanda: The sculpture of a naked woman, which is located on the market place of Helsinki
• Olympic Stadium with the 72 m high tower: in 1952, it was the venue of the Summer Olympics..
• Suomenlinna ´Finnish Castle´: The fortress was built on the island as a ´bulwark´ against Russia.. Nevertheless, Finland fell to Russia in 1809 and the fortress became a Russian garrison town.. Today it belongs to the world cultural heritage and is still inhabited..

Museums:

• Finnish National Museum: Collection on life in Finland from prehistory to the present
• War Museum: The largest museum in Finland with over 200,000 military items
• Finnish Museum of Architecture: the second oldest of its kind in the world
• Science Museum
• Ateneum: home to the most important collection of classical art in the country
• Kiasma: The Museum of Contemporary Art presents the collection of Finnish Nationalgalerie
• Sinebrychoff-Kunstmuseum «part of the National Gallery of Finland»: European art in particular is presented here

Miscellaneous:

• 9% of the 5 million inhabitants of Finland live in Helsinki
• Helsinki City: approx. 560,000 inhabitants
• Area approx. 686 km² with 315 islands

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~~,adier,~, 2013-02-27