The Observatory and Observatory Hill
Finland's first observatory was built in Turku in 1819. After
the great fire which devastated Turku in September 1827, Tsar
Nicholas I ordered that the university be moved from Turku
to Helsinki. The observatory was ordered to move along with
the university.
The tsar issued a decision to build an observatory in Helsinki
and the German architect Carl Ludwig Engel was commissioned
to design it, along with numerous public buildings in the
centre of Helsinki. When the observatory was completed in
1834, it was one of the most versatile and best-equipped observatories
of its time.
Observatory Hill (Tähtitorninmäki) was originally
called Fire Hill. Long ago fires were lit on the hill to warn
people of an imminent attack. The last time this happened
was in the early 18th century, during the Great Northern War.
After the observatory was built, the name was changed.
 The
hill was bare rock to begin with and the observatory on top
of it could be seen a long way off. In the late 19th century,
when famine struck, a project was undertaken to make the hill
suitable for cultivation. Vast amounts of dirt were hauled
in for this purpose. This was the largest park project of
the period and was completed in 1903. Robert Stigell's sculpture
"The Shipwrecked" was placed in the park in 1898.
Additional information on the Observatory:
http://www.astro.helsinki.fi
Additional information on "The Shipwrecked":
http://www.taidemuseo.hel.fi
Photographs:
- Double refractor observatory designed by Gustaf Nyström,
photographed in 2002.
Photographer: Mika Lappalainen, Helsinki City Information
Office.
- View from Observatory Hill north towards the city centre
and the Market Square ca 1900, with flowers in the foreground.
Photo: Helsinki City Museum's photo archives.
- View from Observatory Hill towards the city centre in 2002.
Photographer: Mika Lappalainen, Helsinki City Information
Office.
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