The white heart of Helsinki and a mythical insurance building

Hey guys,

today my post is about a city that I liked very much: Helsinki, the capital of Finland. I don't know if it's the same for you but I always think of House of Money when I think of city names like Helsinki and Stockholm - what a series can do to you ;) But well, now to my travel experiences in Helsinki:

The first stop we made was at Helsinki Cathedral. The cathedral is located right next to the National Library of Finland on Senate Square and thus in the center of the capital.

It is a Protestant cathedral and even the most famous landmark of the city. The church, as you can probably easily see, is snow-white and looks very majestic.

It stands on a pedestal-like platform and is thus somewhat elevated to the surrounding landscape. This intensifies the imposing impression. The cathedral is therefore also commonly called the white heart of Helsinki.

The cathedral originates from the Empire style. This has its own history: at the very beginning of the 19th century helsinki was still a small town. It was largely devastated by a fire. The then Tsar Alexander I then ordered the reconstruction of the city, in the Empire style of the time. Helsinki eventually became the new capital of Finland.

Most people will probably approach Helsinki from the sea. Even from a distance, you can recognize the classicist cathedral. The eye-catching cross dome is clearly visible from every angle. It is surrounded by four small corner towers. On the roof of the cathedral are twelve statues made of zinc. The walls are also decorated with reliefs.

From Senate Square a staircase leads directly to the cathedral. It is also monumentally designed. In general, you get the impression here that everything "fits together".

Small tip: Unfortunately, I do not know how it looks at the moment during Corona and whether you can attend the service (more likely not), but usually at 12 noon in the cathedral services are held. You can usually attend them without any problems.

What you will notice: Although the cathedral is relatively large inside, it is kept very simple. Just like outside, almost everything here is white. In the center of the altar is a painting that Tsar Nicholas I gave to the church.Under the church hall is the crypt. Here is something like a small cafe ads invites to coffee and cake.

One of many unusual sculptures in Helsinki

You can find this sculpture at Kansalaistori Square. It's called Song Trees and it's quite conspicuous: If you walk along Kaisaniemi Park, you can walk through a tunnel to the other side of the main station. You will then come to the House of Music. On the square in front of the house is this huge pike. The sculpture is made of aluminum and steel. What I found very interesting is that it represents Finnish folk traditions and poetry. Also placed there is a big piano symbolizing high culture. In addition, there is a woodpile. It is supposed to look like the pike is just tuning a song. A funny figure!

The mythical Pohjola Insurance Building

You can find these sculptures on the Pohjola Insurance Building. This insurance company building is meant to remind (as a joke, of course), so the customers, that there are mythical figures such as witches, bears and gnomes, which are best to insure as well.

Even though it is a "relatively" unknown building in Helsinki, I can still highly recommend it to you! I found the sculptures built into the facade of the building, which originate from a mythical legend / fantasy mega cool and interesting! And that on an insurance building;))

The building is covered in gargoyles and grotesques to go with it. These point directly to Finnish folklore and legends.

The building was built in 1901 and comes from the designs of architect Eliel Saarinen. Everywhere, every window and door is decorated with a monster carved from stone. But where does the term "Pohjola" come from? It refers to a mythical land from the Finnish epic poem Kalevala. According to the myth, the Pohjola region is ruled by an evil witch.

As you can easily see when you are there on the facade of the insurance building, there are many trees and squirrels here. This is also due to the Pohjola region: because according to myth, the World Tree is said to be found here. However, the word Pohjola also refers more to the direction north, where Pohjola is located.

A building I will definitely remember for a long time!

I hope you liked my post and you'll be back for my next post too :) Maybe you have also felt the desire to visit Helsinki soon, if that is possible? Feel free to give me your feedback and leave a comment or vote. What do you think about Helsinki? Have you been there before? Which sights did you like the most? See you next time!

Disclosure: Posts on TravelFeed may contain affiliate links. See affiliate disclosure.