History of Helsinki
Kingdom of Sweden
Helsinki was founded by
In 1640, Helsingfors was moved south from its original location at the mouth of the river
During the Finnish War, Russians captured Helsingfors in March 1808 and besieged the Sveaborg fortress until it surrendered in May. In addition, about one quarter of the town was destroyed by a fire in November of that year.[2]
Grand Duchy of Finland
Following the Russian victory in the war, former Swedish lands known as Finland were transferred from Sweden to Russian control in 1809, and in 1812 the Russian Tsar relocated capital to Helsinki from Turku in the newly established Grand Duchy of Finland. At that time former capital of Turku was officially known as Åbo' in Swedish', a city across from Sweden on the Gulf of Bothnia. It was believed that the relative lack of Swedish influence in Helsinki, combined with its greater proximity to St. Petersburg, would make a Finnish government headquartered there easier to control. The fortress of Sveaborg also made the capital less vulnerable to an attack via the sea.
After Helsinki became a new capital, Russian Tsar ordered to rebuilt the city of Helsinki in
The planned reinvention of the city as a national capital was finalized by the completion of the Helsinki Cathedral on the north side of Senate Square in 1852. Planned as the focal point of the square from the outset, the cathedral was to be located on the site of the existing Lutheran Ulrika Eleonora church. As such, its construction could not begin until after completion of the Helsinki Old Church, relocation of the altar and furnishings, and demolition of the Ulrika Eleonora church. Construction of the cathedral, originally known as the St. Nicholas Church, took from 1830 to 1852; thus it was not completed until 12 years after Engel's death. It remains a recognizable symbol of Helsinki, easily visible when approaching the city by boat from the Gulf of Finland.
During the 19th century, Helsinki became the economic and cultural center of Finland; as elsewhere, technological advancements such as railroads and
Helsinki's role as a capital resulted in its being the location of many prominent events in 19th and 20th century Finnish history. While the first 90 years under Russian rule were beneficial to the development of the city and the Finnish nation, the
20th century to present
Dissatisfaction with Russian rule and calls for independence continued, and in 1917 Finland took advantage of the Russian Revolution to obtain complete independence. Unfortunately, the sociopolitical turmoil that led to the Russian revolution also existed in Finland, and independence was immediately followed by a 3.5-month civil war. The socialist/communist faction of the population (Reds) rose against the conservative faction and government (Whites). The signal to begin hostilities was the lighting of a red lantern in the tower of the Helsinki Workers' Hall in the Hakaniemi district of the city on 26 January 1918. As Helsinki was within what was considered Red territory, the conservative Finnish government left the city and reassembled in Vaasa. The Finnish People's Delegation, the government of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (as Red Finland was officially known), was established in Helsinki on 28 January 1918. German soldiers, allies of the White Guard, took Helsinki back from the Reds on 13 April 1918. While atrocities were committed by both sides during the conflict, thousands of Red prisoners perished after the war while being detained by the Whites at several locations, including the Suomenlinna fortress.
The new nation developed as a democratic republic amidst the interwar turmoil in Europe. According to the August 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, Finland was placed in the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. Consequently, the Soviets attacked Finland on 30 November 1939 to begin the Winter War. Helsinki was bombed immediately after the war commenced, and then several additional times during the war. After an unfavorable peace agreement to end the war, Finland took the opportunity to become a "co-belligerent" with Nazi Germany in World War II, fighting a Continuation War against the Soviet Union only. This also resulted in multiple bombings of Helsinki from 1941 to 1944, with the most significant series being three massive raids in February 1944.
After the war, Finland was forced to pay reparations to the Soviet Union. Despite this, Helsinki and the rest of Finland thrived. A landmark event was hosting the Games of the XV Olympiad (1952 Summer Olympics). Finland's rapid urbanization in the 1970s, occurring late relative to the rest of Europe, tripled the population in the metropolitan area, and the Helsinki Metro subway system was built. The relatively sparse population density of Helsinki and its peculiar structure have often been attributed to the lateness of its growth.[citation needed] Helsinki was a European Capital of Culture in 2000, and the World Design Capital in 2012. It is considered a Beta Level city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC), according to their 2012 analysis.
Historical population of Helsinki
The population of the city grew rapidly after the relocation of the capital there in 1812, as demonstrated by the following table.[citation needed]
- 1810: 4,070 inhabitants
- 1830: 11,100
- 1850: 20,700
- 1880: 43,300
- 1900: 93,600
- 1925: 209,800
- 1960: 425,000
- 2001: 559,718
- 2012: 596,233
- 2017: 635,000
See also
References
- PMID 11640321.
- ^ Niukkanen, Marianna; Heikkinen, Markku. "Vuoden 1808 suurpalo". Kurkistuksia Helsingin kujille (in Finnish). National Board of Antiquities. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
Bibliography
External links
Media related to History of Helsinki at Wikimedia Commons