Bronze Blacksmiths, Literary Statuary, and A Liberated Library

 

Three Blacksmiths

Hello again, Blogonauts!

Instead of heaving history at you higgledy-piggledy, today's Jaunticle consists mostly of photos... with some accompanying commentary.

For example, the bronze blacksmiths pictured above were given no special meaning when they were installed in 1932. But their prominent location in Helsinki has resulted in them coming to symbolize the combined industriousness & cooperation of the Finnish people. Personally, Verdi's Anvil Chorus echoed in my head while viewing them. The Russians bombed Helsinki during World War II, seemingly in an unsuccessful bid to undermine Finnish independence. The pedestal holding the hammer-wielding trio still shows shrapnel scars.

If you've visited Washington, you may remember most of the monuments depicting historic American figures show them in their military garb.

Helsinki has a few statues glorifying military might, but more of the works of street statuary are either artistic or celebrate literary figures.

The nude "Havis Amanda" was scandalous at its 1908 unveiling

 

Weeping world outside the Library

"Fact & Fable", a sculpture by Gunnar Finne

The sculpture "Fact & Fable" was created to honor the memory of Finnish author & poet Zacharias Topelius. (That's TOPELIUS, not TOPLESS!)

Also there's a lovely monument dedicated to Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the Swedish-speaking Finnish priest who wrote the lyrics to the Finnish national anthem.

 

Johan Ludvig Runeberg monument

That's right, the defacto national anthem of Finland is in Swedish. What gives?

Here's a bit of trivia that left me agog: Finland has two official languages: Finnish (of course) & Swedish.

Sweden ran the show in Finland from the 1100's until Russia ran them off in 1809. Then during the 1917 Russian Communist Revolution, Finland said "nyet!" to becoming Communists and declared its independence. (Even as an independent country Finland remained neutral until 2023, when Russia invaded Ukraine. They're now members of NATO.)

But all this is a roundabout way to point out that some older signs in Helsinki still are TRI-lingual, such as this one:

 

Tri-lingual street sign, which means it dates from before 1917.

Street signs created after 1917 contain only Finnish & Swedish. 

Let's return to ogling architecture again, and snapped a few more photos to share:

Here's a more complete picture of the railway station's entrance

The National Art Gallery of Finland

Another Greek revival building, this time a retail outlet.

 

But now let's spend time admiring the newest and coolest addition to the Helsinki citiscape: the Central Library Oodi:

 

The Helsinki Central Library Oodi

This is no ordinary library. Shopping malls aren't this tolerant and well-equipped, People from everywhere are encouraged to wander in, to eat in the library, or simply to... loiter. But there is so much to do! Take a look at some of these offerings: 

Chess, anyone?

One of the 3 cafés in the library

With your library card, you can borrow instruments to play in the library's many recording studios.

3-D printers were available for anyone to use (although joining the queue cost 1.50 euros).

The 2nd-floor stroller parking area.

 Let me reiterate:

1. There are ranks of chess boards sitting out and people were using them, midday on a Tuesday.
2. There were at least 7 video game areas set ups, 3 of which were sealed in soundproof rooms. All but one was being used.
3. There are 3 cafés in the library.
4. There are children's play areas, plus a youth activities area.
5. People bring so many children that there is an indoor parking lot for baby strollers. 
6. They have several recording studios, where you can take instruments borrowed from the library's collection to record your music.
7. There are ranks of sewing machines, laminators, cutting machines, and a variety of materials crafting spaces.
8. There were at least three 3-D printers available for use (and they were being used while I was there). 
9. There were loads of desks in open, semi-private, and private spaces, all with multiple power outlets for people to use their own computers.
10. There are rocking chairs located around the building, as well as resting platforms, where sometimes people nap, undisturbed.
11. Plus, there are scads of group rooms where non-profits or clubs can meet. One I saw today was filled with about 20 library patrons watching Finnish basketball.

Oh... and they have books, too.

The Oodi Library has oodles of books. 😜

I was astonished! And I have a theory that such a service helps families cope, increasing the likelihood stemming the tide of population decline.

I may be overgeneralizing, but, while much of the Western world's population is shrinking, the numbers of parents out with babies & young kids in Helsinki was noticeable. And they seemed to be welcomed everywhere. Unlike the shrinking birthrate seen elsewhere, the stats are showing a small increase in Finnish births, year over year. Something different is happening in Finland, and perhaps services like the Oodi contribute to that change.

So much for nourishing the mind. Let's show today's foodie photo!

Unlike my guesthouse in Tallinn, the hotel in Helsinki serves breakfast. Here is a tiny bit of the buffet available this morning:

The warm food shelf for the breakfast buffet.

If you've ever traveled in Scandinavia, and your lodging provided you with breakfast, you probably remember that quantities & variety are difficult to imagine.

Tomorrow evening, I have tickets to see the Finnish Radio Orchestra perform, so you may not hear from me again until I am on my way to Sweden, Thursday night. (I've booked a room on the overnight ferry between Helsinki & Stockholm. I don't know if they will have workable WiFi out in the middle of the Baltic Sea.)

Thanks for reading, and if you'd like to leave a comment, leave a hint or two about your identity.

Blog to you later!

Larry