Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki, also known as Helsingfors in Swedish, is the capital of Finland, the nation's leading seaport and industrial city. Helsinki is located in the southernmost part of the country, on a peninsula with beautiful natural harbors that stretches into the Gulf of Finland. The northernmost capital of continental Europe, the city is often referred to as the "white city of the north", as many of its buildings are made of the local light-colored granite. Founded in 1550 by King Vasa Gustaf I of Sweden, Helsinki was built to rival Reval on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. In 1710 the town was ravaged by a plague and in 1713 it burned to the ground. Its reconstruction was blocked by Russian raids in the later part of the 18th century, but in 1748 the settlement was made safer when a fortress was built on a small group of islands outside the harbor, which the Swedes called Sveaborg and the Finns Suomenlinna. In 1808, when Russia invaded Finland, Helsinki burned to the ground again. But Finland was ceded to Russia in 1809, and in 1812 Russian Tsar Alexander I moved the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Turku to Helsinki. After Helsinki became the capital of Finland, its population grew rapidly, and in December 1917 Finland declared independence from Russia. In the following decades, Helsinki developed into an important center of commerce, industry and culture. Helsinki is home to theatres, opera and ballet companies and several symphony orchestras. The annual Helsinki Festival features world-renowned orchestras and artists and a rich variety of events.