Abindennorden
Abindennorden
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Day 36, Helsinki (Closing Day)

Published: 25.06.2022


Today the bike stays parked and I explore on foot. The distances are manageable. Just around the corner from my accommodation is the Temppeliaukio Church, a rock church.

Rock Church from above
Rock Church from above

The church was designed by architects Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and completed in 1969. It was built into a granite rock, but daylight enters through the copper roof with 180 windows. The church walls, five to eight meters high, are made of uncut rock.

Ceiling of the Rock Church
Ceiling of the Rock Church
Interior of the Rock Church
Interior of the Rock Church

Because of the Midsummer festival, almost everything is closed, so I have mainly churches and buildings to visit. The city feels like it is primarily occupied by tourists this weekend, especially those from Germany.
The Helsinki Cathedral is located right in the center, overlooking Senate Square.
Tuomiokirkko, Helsinki Cathedral
Tuomiokirkko, Helsinki Cathedral

A stone's throw away is the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Helsinki. Russia had annexed Finland to its empire for a long time, and Finland only became independent again in 1917.

Uspenski Cathedral
Uspenski Cathedral

As I look around, a tour guide tells her cruise tourists about poverty and homelessness in Finland. In fact, I hadn't seen the usual homeless people even at Helsinki's main train station.

For about 15 years, Finland has been striving to prevent homelessness. The underlying idea is "housing first" and follows the principle that a stable home is the first and most important requirement for the successful social reintegration of people who have lost their roof over their heads for any reason. It emphasizes that a permanent home should be at the beginning, not the end, of the reintegration process. Since the 1980s, when Finland had about 20,000 homeless people, their number has decreased to just over 4,000. In Finnish statistics, those who sleep at relatives' or acquaintances' places but do not have their own registered address are also classified as homeless. This group makes up about 70 percent.

The Russian Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral is located in the Katajanokka district, which I also visit directly.

Katajanokka District
Katajanokka District

Outside the tourist hotspots during Midsummer, the streets are empty. Many locals have gone out to the countryside to their Mökki, a wooden summer cottage with a sauna.

Empty streets in Helsinki

This would have been a good opportunity for a swim in the city center.

Finally, I drive a bit out of the city and visit the Olympic Stadium. Helsinki hosted the Olympic Games in 1952.

Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium

The Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) was built before World War II as a tennis hall (!), used for basketball competitions during the Olympics, then as a garage, and finally as a museum.

HAM Art Museum
HAM Art Museum

Tired but filled with many impressions, I end this beautiful day.

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