The City Hall quarter - the Lion Block
Lion Block: The
City Hall, Bock house or The Old
Town Hall, Burtz house ja Hellenius
house, Imperial Streets,
Works of Art in City
Hall.
The City Hall quarter - the Lion Block - lies in the heart
of Helsinki's Neoclassical town centre, bordered by the Market
Square, Senate Square, Katariinankatu and Sofiankatu. All
the buildings are, apart from a few shops and offices, now
occupied by the City of Helsinki.
The side of the block bordering on the Market Square is dominated
by the bluish-grey facade of Helsinki City Hall. The buildings
on the northern side overlooking Senate Square are the oldest
of all: the 18th century Bock House, Burtz House and Hellenius
House. The new building in the centre of the block is where
the City Council meets.
The Lion Block as it stands today dates from the early 19th
century, when work began on rebuilding the city after it was
severely damaged by fire in 1808. In 1812 Helsinki had become
the capital of Finland, now an Autonomous Grand Duchy and
part of the Russian Empire. The town plan drawn up by J.A.
Ehrenström, the head of the committee for the reconstruction
of the city, was finally ratified. The most famous of the
Lion Block architects was Carl Ludwig Engel, who was commissioned
to design the new public buildings the city needed.
Until the early years of the 20th century, the Lion Block
and its immediate surroundings were a centre of commerce and
socialising. Over the years the Seurahuone Hotel and the buildings
occupied by merchants and wealthy residents have undergone
many changes to meet the needs of their various owners. The
facades of the old merchant houses were given a new Neoclassical
look to bring them in line with Engel's overall plan, and
an extra storey was added. The biggest changes were made in
1965-1970 and 1985-1988, during the thorough renovations planned
and overseen by Professor Aarno Ruusuvuori.
 Helsinki
having been promoted to the status of capital in 1812, work
began on building and enlarging the city. The streets and
blocks had to be given names, if for no other reason than
that the fire insurance companies demanded that street names
be displayed on street corners and gates. The names were for
the most part chosen by the city surveyor's office, which
had a preference for flora and fauna. Next to the Lion Block
are the Elephant and Senate blocks. The local residents usually
referred to blocks in the 19th century, but block names gradually
went out of use as the century drew to an end.
Bibliography: Kaupungin Leijona-sydän, Narinkka 1998. Helsingin
kaupunginmuseon vuosikirja. Jyväskylä 1998 Helsingin kadunnimet.
Helsingin kaupungin julkaisuja. Helsinki 1999 Consultants:
Dr Kerttuli Wessman, Helsinki City Museum and Martti Helminen,
MA, Helsinki City Archives.
http://www.hel.fi/kkansl/english/cityhall.htm
Illustrations:
- Perspective blockmap from Helsinki Arena 2000 -city.
- The Lion Relief on Katariinankatu (Photo: Esko Toivari),
Helsinki City Museum
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