Helsinki

Finland - June 2017
P001 - P1140089 June 11 Sunday, tour Day 8 itinerary - this morning, travel by ferry across the Baltic Sea (from Tallinn, Estonia) to Helsinki, proud capital of Finland...
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P002 - P1140090 ... guided sightseeing featuring the City Hall and Parliament House, the Presidential Palace, the monumental railroad station, the great Lutheran Cathedral, and...
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P003 - P1140079 Helsinki, the capital city and most populous municipality, the seat of the Uusimaa region in southern Finland on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, some 50 miles...
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P004 - P1140076 Finland, one of the world's most northern and geographically remote countries and is subject to a severe climate, nearly two-thirds of the country is blanketed...
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P005 - P1140080 ... a part of Sweden from the 12th century until 1809, Finland was then a Russian grand duchy until, following the Russian Revolution, the Finns declared...
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P006 - P1140077 Finland, bordered to the north by Norway-Barents Sea, to the east by Russia, to the south by the Gulf of Finland, to the southwest by the Gulf of Bothnia and to...
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P007 - P1140081 ... the coastline of Finland, some 2760 miles in length, is extremely indented and dotted with thousands of islands - the greatest number of these are to be...
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P008 - P1140082 ... the major urban settlements are all in the southern third of the country, with a large number of cities and towns concentrated on the coast, either on the...
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P009 - P1140083 Helsinki, the leading seaport and the most important political, educational, financial, cultural, and research center of the nation lying in the far south of...
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P010 - IMG_1447 ... founded in 1550 by King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden and was intended to compete with the city of Reval (now Tallinn, on the southern shore of the Gulf of...
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P011 - P1140124 ... the town was ravaged by a plague in 1710 and burned to the ground in 1713; its redevelopment was hindered by Russian attacks later in the 18th century, but...
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P012 - P1140084 ... when Russia invaded Finland in 1808, Helsinki was again burned to the ground; but in 1809 Finland was ceded to Russia, and in 1812 the Russian tsar...
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P013 - P1140085 ... meanwhile, the center of Helsinki completely reconstructed under the influence of the German-born architect Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840) who designed a...
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P014 - IMG_1440 ... once Helsinki became the capital of Finland, its population increased rapidly by 1890; in December 1917 Finland declared independence from Russia, and a...
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P015 - IMG_1404 Let's explore the historic city center, shall we?
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P016 - IMG_1391 Senate Square (Senaatintori) and its surroundings make up the oldest part of central Helsinki, a unique allegory of political, religious, scientific and...
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P017 - IMG_1393 ... landmarks and famous buildings surrounding the Senate Square being the Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, main building of the University of...
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P018 - IMG_1398 Government Palace (Valtioneuvoston linna), the executive office building of the Council of State of Finland - overlooking the Senate Square housing the Prime...
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P019 - IMG_1399 ... work on the building began in 1818, the Imperial Senate moved to the palace overlooking Senate Square in 1822; the wing on the Aleksanterinkatu (south) side...
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P020 - IMG_1424 ... the Hallituskatu (north) side was not closed off until several decades later with a courtyard annex added in 1860 to house the Senate printing press, the...
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