Helsinki

Helsinki (Swedish: Helsingfors) is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is located on the Gulf of Finland.

It has a population of 673,272 (2017), and combined with the neighbouring municipalities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, the population exceeds 1 000 000.

The main sights include the fortress island of Suomenlinna and the neoclassical Helsinki cathedral.

The main language in Helsinki is Finnish, but there is a Swedish minority. Helsinki is officially bilingual.

## History[edit]

Helsinki was bombed by Soviet airplanes during both the Winter War and the Continuation War, but thanks to the Finnish air force, most of the attacks did not cause severe damage.

Helsinki hosted the Summer Olympics in 1952.[1]

## Further reading[edit]

* Lonely Planet Finland by Andy Symington and George Dunford (2009)
* Helsinki: The Bradt City Guide by Nigel Wallis (2007) excerpt and text search

## External links[edit]

* Helsinki Site in English