Helsinki in Details - Part 1
As Helsinki is about to be plunged into the darkness of November and things will look dreary for a while, it is good to remember the ordinary beauty of this city. The magic is in the details that we might miss if we do not look around as we walk down these familiar streets.
This is a series where I compile pretty, odd and amusing details around Helsinki, one postal code at a time. I am naturally starting from 00100 where our university lies.
Snakes at Fabianinkatu, looking like they have stayed up all night with the help of a little too much Redbull. Perhaps relatable to some students.
On the left you can see a relief of their mother Medusa, looking rather judgmental.
Across Aleksanterinkatu you can detect a copper belt that marks the old shoreline of Kluuvinlahti. It lists marine creatures in Latin that used to dwell here 200 years ago.
One delightful trait of Helsinki is the animal or plant names the old city blocks used to bear. Some are still identified by these signs. My favorite is the unicorn that marks a gorgeous block in the intersection of Fabianinkatu and Pohjoisesplanadi.
I present this without a comment.
These squirrels absolutely going to town on their pinecones are on the facade of the same building as the previous… character. The old Pohjola insurance company headquarters on Mikonkatu. If you look up, you can also see some bears glaring down at you.
The bronze sculptures Kehruu and Metsästys by Robert Stigell on Aleksanterinkatu have their inspiration in Artemis, the goddess of both hunt and handicrafts. As you can see if you walk around this area with your eyes open, Helsinki is filled with neoclassical elements.
Thirsty students may be too distracted by Heidi's Bier Bar (Yrjönkatu) to the right to notice this fountain of a maiden surfing on some poor dragon. No wonder the beast looks so peeved.
These beautiful golden columns on the side of Ruttopuisto fill me with awe and wonder — about how no one has found tall enough ladders to steal them yet.
Some beauty is fleeting - such as this cat cafe Helkatti (Fredrikinkatu) which might not be here 50 years from now when some lost soul stumbles onto this article. But that does not mean anyone walking down Fredrikinkatu cannot appreciate the sight of the cutest cats lounging in the display window.
This mosaic of ducks is not the only one of its kind. Go around the small red brick building in Kampintori and enjoy the quasi-Pompeii style sculptures and mosaics.
It is easy to spot the mighty elk and the waving bear on the balcony of the Natural History Museum, but did you see the owl?
Utilize the wisdom of that fine animal and go around the corner to the right. If you look down at the lower windows, you may be able to see some cool skeletons on display without having to pay the entrance fee!
On the wall of the Minervakoulu near Apollonpuistikko, you will see reliefs of our favorite Roman god sibling duo, Apollo and Minerva. Around the corner there is also a relief of me stressing the importance of owls to my reluctant readers.
Next to this on the left is a relief of kids enjoying a game of dodgeball. Is enjoy the right word? That was certainly not my elementary school experience. I am writing for the student magazine of the English department, do you think I was GOOD at it?
In the Hietaniemi burial site you can find the graves of many famous Finns, but also some beautiful commemorative sculptures.
Finally, we have arrived at the Oodi library. Take a moment and observe how the returned books roll down to their destination on this conveyer belt. It always brings me such joy.
