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June 28, 2006
From Hotel to City Hall
Next to the Market Square, right at the heart of Helsinki's Neoclassical town centre, looms the bluish-grey facade of the town's City Hall. Construction of the houses around here began after the devastating fire in 1808. In 1812 Helsinki became the capital of Finland, then part of the Russian Empire but an Autonomous Grand Duchy nonetheless. This new status required of course more stately looking buildings in the city.
The Helsinki City Hall
The City Hall was originally built as a hotel, the Seurahuone Hotel, which was opened in 1833. The banquetting rooms on the first floor must have been quite a sight. The main hall was huge and could accomodate up to 1600 people. The hotel also had separate gambling rooms and - would you believe it - actually 27 rooms for guests. The members of the conference were lucky enough to be invited inside for a reception by the Mayor. The Main Hall could easily accomodate several hundreds of us, a splendid buffet and a good selection of drinks including astonishing amounts of red and white wine.
The Main Hall - restored to its former splendour in the 1960's
Those must have been the days, indeed, with the Seurahuone Hotel being the centre of society life in the 19th century Helsinki, housing balls and concerts for Russian and Finnish officers. As a result of the Tsar's ban on foreign travel Helsinki also welcomed many visitors of the Russian gentry who no doubt added even more colour to the social scene. The Seurahunone did its utmost to keep its popularity providing such newfangled things as gas lamps and running water as early as the 1860's and even electricity in the 1880's. During WW I the hotel served as a naval hospital and was turned into a home for the Helsinki City Council in the 1920's. The building was completely renovated in the late 1960's to suit the modern architectural spirit, restoring only the main hall, the facade and the entrance colonades to its former glory
On the day we visited the City Hall some specially designed pieces of everyday use were on display in the foyer. I must admit that I have a weakness for scandinavian design especially where it concerns household goods. The design usually proves to be extremely simple but effective and it is often something completely different to what we are used to around here. I often think it is because of the long, dark winters scandinavians have to spend indoors which makes them spend a lot of thought on how to turn their homes and houses into extremely comfortable places.
Design water taps (and a bicycle) on display in the foyer
Posted by Mausi at June 28, 2006 06:44 PM
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