Helsinki (Finnish) or Helsingfors (Swedish) is the capital of Finland. Founded in 1550, the “Daughter of the Baltic” has been the Finnish capital since 1812, when it was rebuilt by the tsars of Russia along the lines of a miniature St. Petersburg, a role it has played in many Cold War movies. Today, Helsinki pulls off the trick of being something of an international metropolis while still retaining a small-town feel. The best time to visit is in summer, when Finns peel off their overcoats and flock to outdoor bars and cafes to enjoy the sunshine.Helsinki’s current population is about 604,380, but the Greater Helsinki region including the suburbs of the neighboring administrative areas of Espoo and Vantaa has a population of over 1.3 million.Helsinki was founded in A.D. 1550 by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden as a trading post to compete with Tallinn to the south in Estonia, which was Danish at that time. Its growth was slow until the establishment of Sveaborg (nowadays Suomenlinna) Maritime Fortress in the front of Helsinki in the middle of 18th century. In 1809, Finland was annexed by Russia during a war of that period and the capital of Finland moved from Turku to Helsinki in 1812. The Czar felt the Grand Duchy of Finland needed a capital of grand proportions. The architects Johan Albrecht Ehrenstram, a native Finn, and Carl Ludwig Engel, from Germany, were given the task of rebuilding Helsinki in the Empire style. This can be seen today around the Lutheran Cathedral, which was completed in 1852. The same style, and even architects, is also a part of Saint Petersburg’s history. Though thoroughly a Nordic capital, Helsinki today reflects the influences gained from the Western and Eastern cultures.The county of Helsinki forms the core of Finland’s largest urban area, known in Finnish as the “capital area” (paakaupunkiseutu). Helsinki is bordered by the Gulf of Finland to the south, while the suburban municipality Espoo, with the embedded tiny enclave town of Kauniainen, is to the west. The more industrialized municipality of Vantaa is to the north and east. Beyond these three the suburbs rapidly give way to small towns, farms and forests, most notably Nuuksio National Park at the intersection of Espoo, Vihti and Kirkkonummi.Within Helsinki itself, the city center is on the southern peninsula at the end of the city’s main thoroughfare Mannerheimintie (or just Mansku). Both the central railway station and the main bus terminal are in the city center. Shopping streets Aleksanterinkatu (or Aleksi for short) and Esplanadi (or Espa) connect to Senate Square (Senaatintori), the historical center of the city. See the Helsinki Guide Map [103] for an interactive searchable map of the city.City of Helsinki Tourist Information Office, Corner of Pohjoisesplanadi and Unioninkatu (just off Market Square), +358-9-31013300, . M-F 9AM-8PM, Sa-Su 9AM-6PM

Airport: HEL Helsinki Vantaa Airport Cities in Fiji

Country: Finland