Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland situated in the southern part of the country by the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. Helsinki, together with the neighboring cities of Vantaa and Espoo, constitute the capital region with over 1,000,000 inhabitants. Helsinki is the administrative centre of Finland and also the centre of Finnish cultural life and business activity. There is a large and varied collection of museums, galleries, and performance spaces in the city.

Helsinki was founded in 1550 by King Gustav I of Sweden. For a long time it remained a small coastal town, overshadowed by the more thriving trade centers in the Baltic region. The construction of the Suomenlinna fortress helped improve its status, but it was not until Russia annexed Finland as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809 that Helsinki began to develop into a major city. After moving capital to Helsinki, city saw unprecedented growth and development. This transformation is highly apparent in the downtown core, which was rebuilt in neoclassical style to resemble St. Petersburg (Russia).


The role of Helsinki as a capital increased even more after Finland became independent in 1917. Now Finland is one of the member states of the European Union. The local currency is Euro.

Carl Ludwig Engel (1778-1840) designed several neo-classical buildings in Helsinki. He was kept in Helsinki by a unique assignment, as he was elected to plan a new city centre all on his own. The city became shallow and wide at the time when most buildings had only two or three floors. The central point of Engel's city plan is the Senate Square, surrounded by the Government's Palace, the main building of the University, and the enormous Cathedral, which was finished in 1852.

Cultural program includes tour of the central historic part of the city, including walk on the Senate Square and Cathedral, market square and the biggest Orthodox church in Western Europe, Uspenski Cathedral (built in 1862-1868).

Another tour options, if there are enough participants, is to visit Suomenlinna castle, as well as to visit to Korkeasaari, the Helsinki zoo island. Suomenlinna castle