Location: Head of South Harbor, Helsinki
Bus: 13, 16
Trolley: 1, 1A, 2, 3B, 3T, 4
Closed in winter
The Market Square (Swedish: Salutorget) is one of Helsinki's most significant markets. It is located on the southern edge of the historic center, in the wig of the Eteläsatama bay, and is bordered to the south by the sea, to the north by Pohjoisesplanadi, which runs along the edge of the market, to the west by Unioninkatu, on the other side of which Esplanadi park begins, and to the east by the Linnanaltaasi at the mouth of the Katajanokka canal.
Until the beginning of the 19th century, there was a muddy
Kaupunginlahti pier with fishing piers at the place of Kauppator. Lahti
was used as a market place by fishermen from the surrounding area, who
moored their boats at the docks and sold their fish to the people of
Helsinki. Etelainen Rantakatu ran around the site of today's
Pohjoisesplanadi, behind which urban settlement began. At that time,
Suurtor was used as the actual market square, which was located on the
site of the current Senate Square.
The market square was born at
the beginning of the 19th century, when the center of Helsinki was
rebuilt as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland. In Johan Albrecht
Ehrenström's site plan from 1812, the old Suurtor was turned into a new
monumental square, Senatintori, and a new market square was placed on
the site of the former fishing piers. A lot of filling soil had to be
driven into the muddy and shallow bay bottom in order to build a wide
market suitable for ship traffic. Three harbor basins were built on the
square: a basin on the east end for Viapori traffic (now Linnanallas), a
basin on the west end for fishing boats (now Kolera basin) and on the
south side a basin for steamships (now Vironallas). In connection with
the construction of the square, the Katajanokka canal was also dug.
In the 1890s, the harbor line to Katajanokka was laid along the bank
of Kauppator; for this reason, the market was extended towards the sea
and two swing bridges were built at its ends so that trains could cross
the mouth of the Kolera basin and the Katajanoka channel. Rail service
to Katajanokka was discontinued and the rails were dismantled in the
1980s.
Sights and notable buildings
In the middle of
Kauppatori is the Keisarinnankivi, Helsinki's oldest public monument,
which was erected to commemorate the first visit of Nicholas I's wife,
Empress Alexandra, to Helsinki in 1835. It was unveiled in 1835 at the
spot where the emperor and empress had disembarked from their ship.
Designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, the Empress Stone is a red granite
obelisk topped by a bronze globe and topped by the double eagle of
Imperial Russia. Russian sailors stoned the ball and Kotka down in the
year of the revolution in 1917, but they were saved and restored to
their place in 1971.
At the western end of the square, near
Unioninkatu and Esplanadi park, is the fountain Havis Amanda (Ville
Vallgren 1908), one of the most famous sculptures in Helsinki.
Environment buildings
There are a number of notable historical
buildings around the market square. Along the eastern part of
Pohjoisesplanadi, which runs along the edge of the square, are located:
Presidential Palace, Carl Ludvig Engel 1843 (Pohjoisesplanadi 1)
Palace of the Supreme Court, F. A. Sjöström 1883 (Pohjoisesplanadi 3)
Swedish Embassy, A.F. Granstedt / Torben Grut 1837 (Pohjoisesplanadi 7)
Helsinki City Hall, Carl Ludvig Engel 1833 (Pohjoisesplanadi 11-13)
The following are also located near the market:
Old market hall,
Gustaf Nyström 1889; The oldest shopping mall building in Helsinki and
in all of Finland (Eteläranta 1)
UPM's former headquarters, Karl
Lindahl 1912 (Eteläesplanadi 2). Before that, from the 1920s to the
1990s, it was used by forest industry associations. UPM's current head
office is located near the railway station at Alvar Aallonkatu 1.
Headquarters, Carl Ludvig Engel 1843 (Mariankatu 1)
Uspensky
Cathedral, A. M. Gornostayev 1868 (Kavanakatu 1)
Stora Enso
headquarters, Alvar Aalto 1962 (Kanavanranta 1)
The market square is a popular destination for tourists. Ferries
depart from the square to Suomenlinna and Korkeasaari and for
sightseeing cruises of the Helsinki archipelago. There is also the pier
of the M/S J.L. Runeberg ship that operates to Porvoo. Above all, for
the pleasure of tourists, an evening market experiment was also started
in the 1980s. In the first week of October, a traditional herring market
is organized at Kauppatori, the history of which dates back to the 18th
century and the time of the Kaupunginlahti fish piers.
Large
public events have also been organized at the market square, for example
in honor of the Finnish national ice hockey team's world championship on
May 8, 1995. In February 2006, two large television screens were erected
at the market square in honor of the Finland-Sweden ice hockey final of
the Torino Olympics, which was televised live all over the country. Even
though Finland lost the match, a party was organized the very next night
in Kauppatori in honor of the Lions who won silver. The event was also
attended by members of the Finnish national team, who did not have an
NHL game the following night. On May 26, 2006, large celebrations were
also organized in the square in honor of Lord's Eurovision Song Contest
victory. The latter event was attended by approximately 90,000 people,
i.e. more than any event previously organized in Finland. The event also
brought the Finns a world record for group karaoke.