The Rock Church or Temppeliaukio Kirkko – Helsinki

Temppeliaukio Kirkko, Helsinki

The Rock Church - an interesting piece of modern architecture: Temppeliaukio Kirkko is more commonly known by its English name The Rock Church or Church in the Rock. It was designed by two architect brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, who chose a rocky outcrop as the site for their church. The underground Rock Church was built inside of a massive block of natural granite in the middle of Töölö , an ordinary residential square in Helsinki.  It must have given residents an almighty … [Read more...]

The Sibelius Monument – Helsinki

Sibelius Monument, Helsinki

A Controversial Monument in Honour of Sibelius, Finland's Famous Composer: One of Helsinki's famous landmarks is the Sibelius Monument which was built to honour Finland's national composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). Who would have thought that the erection of a monument to honour a famous composer would elicit such heated debate, but apparently the whole of Finland got engaged in an unprecedented public debate about the design. After Sibelius' death in 1957, the Sibelius Society … [Read more...]