Finland is a northern country with a harsh climate, and its cultural and intellectual life is concentrated in Helsinki. It is the largest city in the country, but despite this, there are many beautiful parks, trees everywhere. There are many sights in Helsinki that were built at different times.
It is best to start your acquaintance with the Finnish capital from the historical center. Its main attraction is the Senate Square, which houses several buildings built in the early 19th century in the neoclassical style. Among them are the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, as well as the main building of the library of the University of Helsinki. The buildings are made in a strict, sometimes even ascetic style. There, on the square, is the Sederholm House, which was built in the middle of the 18th century. Today it is the oldest stone building in the city. It was built by Sederholm, a Finnish merchant, and later acquired by his colleague from Russia, the merchant Kiselev. He made small changes and the house has not been rebuilt since then. Today this building is considered the most beautiful in the city. One of the most famous landmarks in Helsinki is the Design Museum. It started working in the 19th century, so it has one of the most respectable collections in its field. The exposition is devoted to both the history of design development and its most modern phenomena. There are other interesting museums in Helsinki. The National Museum contains various archaeological and historical items that can tell a lot about the culture and life of the country at different times. The Ateneum is an art museum that contains objects of Finnish art dating back to the 18th century. The list of sights of the city includes several interesting churches. One of them is carved right into the granite rock. The structure has a glass dome through which light enters inside. This is a unique building of its kind. The Assumption Cathedral, located in Helsinki, is today the largest Orthodox church in Europe. The Suomenlinna Fortress, built in the 18th century on the seashore, is still well preserved. This is a very beautiful and powerful structure. There are several museums on the territory of the fortress, sometimes of rather unexpected themes: for example, it is here that there are museums of toys and dolls.
