EARLY PLANNING OF HELSINKI

Ehrenstrom's Master Plan drawing of 1812

Walking through the streets of Helsinki, there is a certain freshness to the renaissance revival buildings that you don't find elsewhere in Europe. Once learning a shred of the nation's history I found an explanation.  Between the 12th and 17th century, the area now known as Finland was part of the kingdom of Sweden. Until the 19th century Turku, 170 km west of Helsinki, was the capital of Finland. In 1809, Russia defeated Sweden in the Finnish War and made Finland a Russian autonomous state and it remained as such until 1917 when Finland withdrew from Russian rule declaring its independence.
It was during the Russian rule that Helsinki took on the appearance it has today. To further remove Finland from Swedish influence, the Russian Tsar moved the capital and the University from Turku to Helsinki. Most major European cities developed as a city as far back as their medieval charters. Helsinki developed primarily within the last two centuries.

Kallio Church

In 1812 Tsar Alexander appointed military engineer Johan Albrecht Ehrenstrom as head of Helsinki's reconstruction. Ehrenstrom planned the city with a senate square at the center with axial streets ordering the street grid. The hilltop church (Kallio) to the north and Tahtitorninmaki park to the south form the termini of the north-south axis.

Esplanadi looking east to the port

The location of the port, the east-west running esplanadi and the main thoroughfare Manihamintie cutting diagonally across the grid were components of his original master plan.

Cathedral, University building and Library (behind the steps)

This plaza is the city's prime public gathering space for rallies and celebrations.

In 1814 Shortly after his appointment, Ehrenstrom hired the German architect C.L. Engels to be his lead architect. For the next 40 years he was the city architect. His most notable contribution is his design for Helsinki's Senate square, which includes the Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral, the University Library and the Senate Building. Ehrenstrom's plan and Engels building designs established Helsinki as a European center. They set the order and organization for the city that Eliel Saarinen and later Alvar Aalto would build upon.