Helsinki City Hall
City Hall is located in Helsinki's neoclassical centre, in
a block bordered by the Market Square, the Senate Square,
Katariinankatu and Sofiankatu. City Hall overlooks the Market
Square, while the 18th century Bock, Burtz and Hellenius houses
face the Senate Square on the opposite side. The City Council
meets in a new building which is in the centre of the block.
City Hall was originally designed as a hotel. After Helsinki
was made the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1812,
it needed new and better facilities for entertaining, especially
since the Bock House, which had been the centre of social
life up to then, became the official residence of the Governor-General.
Tsar Nicholas I also took an interest in this project. A good
location was available to the south of the Bock House, next
to the harbour.
The Hotel Seurahuone was designed by the German architect
Carl Ludwig Engel and was completed in 1833. The hotel was
quite large for its time. It contained business premises on
the ground floor and a large banqueting room on the second
floor. The hotel also had gambling rooms, but only 27 rooms
for guests.
The Hotel Seurahuone was the scene of many Finnish premieres.
The first Finnish opera, King Charles' Hunt by Fredrik Pacius,
was staged there in 1852. The Lumière brothers arranged
Finland's first film showing at the Seurahuone in 1896, only
half a year after the world premiere in Paris.
The Seurahuone operated as a hotel up to 1913, although the
city acquired the building in 1901 in order to build a new
city hall on the lot. Part of the building was placed in official
use immediately. During the First World War a hospital for
Russian naval personnel was located there.
The building was refurbished in the early 1920s and was converted
for its new purpose. City Hall was thoroughly renovated in
1965-70, according to plans prepared by Professor Aarno Ruusuvuori.
The interior was rebuilt at this time. Only the banquet room
and exterior were restored according to their previous design.
City Hall presently houses the City Board's meeting room,
the City Office and entertaining facilities. The new building
in the centre of the block was designed by Professor Aarno
Ruusuvuori and was built in 1985-88. The City Council meets
on the second floor of this building.
The new building received the Europa Nostra award in 1989.
The City Council meets on alternate Wednesdays. The public
can watch meetings from the gallery.
http://www.hel.fi/kkansl/english/cityhall.htm
Back to The Lion Block
Photographs:
- City Hall and the Market Square in spring 2002.
Photographer: Mika Lappalainen, Helsinki City Information
Office.
Painting:
- The Market Square in the 1890s
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