Nordic Art Nouveau in Helsinki

Well, I think I’ve finally landed in gull heaven. Helsinki is the perfect place for me. A beautiful coastal city with dozens of sea inlets, promenades, beaches and islands not far offshore… and seagulls rule the roost! The proof is in all the signs warning about gulls. Yes. We gulls are a force to be reckoned with here.

I couldn’t wait to hit the South Harbour, just a short stroll from the city centre. What a wonderful spot! I was beak-smacked by the huge ferries docked at the terminals there. It must be so amazing to arrive in Helsinki by ship and be greeted by this vista – the market square, the old market hall, the various commuter ship and ferry terminals, the Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral and the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral in the background. And gulls, gulls, everywhere!

The Oldies, of course, were fascinated by the local architecture and I have to agree with them that Nordic Art Nouveau is massively impressive. In this climate, you want strength and solidity and you certainly get it here in spades. The whole city is rock solid; in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much granite before, apart, perhaps, from when we were in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland.

Helsinki’s famous Central Railway Station designed by Eliel Saarinen is simply splendid. I don’t think I could ever tire of it – which is just as well, as we passed through it at least twice a day for the duration of our stay. In spite of all its mod cons – digital notice boards, state of the art ticketing machines and the like – the beautiful grand interior and fancy looking restaurant and café made it easy for me to imagine what travel must have been like around the turn of the last century.

The gigantic ‘Lantern Bearers’ at the entrance, carved out of solid granite, were quite intimidating though. What powerful looking dudes! I never once saw a single gull or even a cheeky pigeon dare to land on them. Which is quite  something around here!

There were plenty more wonderful examples of Nordic Art Nouveau throughout the city, especially in the district of Eira. The large, multi-storey apartment buildings are solid, yet elegant. The doorways alone are works of art in themselves.

In contrast, the design of this imposing redbrick church, the Mikael Agricola Church, also in the district of Eira, looked quite simple and functional to me. Hah, I’m good! It turns out that the style is classified as ‘simplified functionalism’. Churches don’t usually float my boat, but this one did, and I especially liked the boat floating above the sanctuary.

Helsinki city centre and its older districts are unlike many European cities I have visited. The imposing architecture and wide boulevards gave me an impression of solidity and space, and with the sea never far away, sure what more would you want? The Oldies looked like they felt quite at home here too. One thing is for sure. His Lordship blended in well with the locals!