Olympic Stadium. Olympic Stadium is located approximately two kilometers away from the historical center of Helsinki. This is the largest stadium in Finland, the symbol of which is a tall observation tower of 72.71 m. The tower’s length is a bit strange, but it has a symbolic meaning. Its unusual length matches the length of the record spear throw of Matti Järvinen, a winner of the Olympic Games of 1932. The construction of the stadium was completed in 1938, but the summer Olympic Games of 1940, which were to be carried out there, were canceled due to the beginning of the Second World War. In 1952, Helsinki finally hosted the Olympics. During the games the Olympic Stadium was the main venue for competitions and it provided seats to more than 70,000 spectators. In late 90's the stadium was closed for a five year renovation, after which the capacity of the stadium was reduced to a maximum of 40 000 spectators. When the stadium does not host sports competitions or other activities, its observation tower, which offers a wonderful view of the capital of Finland, is open to visitors.
Seurasaari Island. Seurasaari Island is located to the west of Helsinki . The island is famous for its open air museum that features Finnish buildings of XVII-XX centuries. Dressed in traditional costumes, the museum’s guides will tell visitors about life of the Finns in the last century. Besides the museum, the island is famous for its picturesque landscapes, and everyone is welcome to admire this beauty for free. Many residents of Helsinki use this opportunity to come to Seurasaari in order to swim or have a picnic. The traditional favorite pastime of all visitors of the island is giving nuts to lovely squirrels. Every year the largest number of tourists comes to Seurasaari during the summer solstice, or the so-called white nights. The celebration dedicated to the summer solstice, which takes place between June 20 and 26, attracts both locals and tourists, who use loud music, hearty food, heavy drinking to scare off evil spirits.
Continue reading
This article about Helsinki is written by the orangesmile.com editorial team and is protected by the copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com