History of Finland

To better enjoy your visit to Helsinki and understand its monuments, it helps to take a quick dive into the history of the “White City of the North.” People have lived in Finland for over two thousand years. The first settlers were Finno-Ugric tribes, who arrived as early as the 1st century AD. They gave the country its native name—Suomi—which later became known as Finland. Throughout the Middle Ages, Finland was caught between Sweden, Russia, and Denmark, each eager to control the region. From the 12th century onwards, the Swedish king Erik the Saint began invading and colonising Finnish lands, establishing the first Duchy of Finland. Sweden remained in control until 1809. Helsinki was founded in 1550, by Swedish King Gustav Vasa, who saw its strategic potential as a port city. To protect it, he ordered the construction of the fortress of Suomenlinna. In 1808, a devastating fire destroyed much of the city. Helsinki was rebuilt in stone, adopting the neoclassical style that still defines its appearance today, and several gardens were created to open up the city centre. The years 1808 and 1809 were also marked by the war between Sweden and Russia, which ended in Russian victory, who took control of Finland. Unlike Sweden, Russia made Finland an autonomous Grand Duchy ruled by the Russian Emperor, and represented locally by a Governor-General. In 1812, Helsinki became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland. Finnish traditions and culture began to reemerge, and Finnish was added as an official language alongside Swedish. Thanks in large to Emperor Alexander II, who served as Grand Duke of Finland until 1867, Finnish culture flourished, particularly literature. Nationalist sentiment grew stronger during the Russian occupation, and in 1917, after the fall of the Russian Empire, the Finnish Parliament approved a declaration of independence. The Republic of Finland was officially founded on 17 July 1919, with beautiful Helsinki as its capital!