23 June 2013 ~ Market Square, Helsinki
Listening to: Bobby Bare ~ Tequila Sheila
My meetings ended early last Thursday as everyone was heading to their cabins to celebrate the Summer Solstice Holiday. A colleague suggest I go to a Fortress which is 15 minutes by ferry from the Central Market Square. So I took a taxi to the city center.
The Market Square is near Uspenski Cathedral. According to Wikipedia: The cathedral was built during the nineteenth century during a period in which Finland was part of the Russian Empire...during the years 1862 to 1868. The Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in western Europe and is situated upon a hillside on the Katajanokka Peninsula overlooking the city and the South Harbor. The cathedral is surmounted by 13 onion domes. On the back of the cathedral is a plaque commemorating Emperor Alexander II of Russia, ruler of Finland during its construction.
In August 2007, the nineteenth century icon of St Nicholas - The Wonder Worker, one of the valuable treasures of the cathedral, was stolen and has not been recovered. .
In the middle of the Market Square is Helsinki’s oldest public monument, the Tsarina’s Stone. It is an obelisk of red granite topped by a globe and a double-headed eagle.This was the emblem used by the Tsars of Russia. The eagle’s breastplate shows a lion, the coat of arms of Finland. The monument was erected in 1835 in honor of the visit by Tsar Nikolai I and the Tsarina Alexandra, who stepped ashore here.
In 1917, the year of the Russian Revolution and Finland’s independence, Russian seamen took down the globe and eagle, but the Finns kept them safe and put them back in 1971. There are few places anywhere else where original monuments to the old Russian royal family still exist.
A close-up of the base.
From spring to autumn, the Market Square is bustling with activity with vendors selling fresh Finnish food and souvenirs. The height of the square's popularity is in early October when the annual Helsinki "silakkamarkkinat" (Herring Market) begins.
Buyer beware...these seagulls are quite bold and have become an increasing menace in the Market Square, swooping down to snatch snacks and ice-cream from the hands of unsuspecting tourists.
Several classic boats line the harbor (and cruise ships as well, but no need for a photo of those).
I liked the turtle sculptures that mark off the parking lot.
My meetings ended early last Thursday as everyone was heading to their cabins to celebrate the Summer Solstice Holiday. A colleague suggest I go to a Fortress which is 15 minutes by ferry from the Central Market Square. So I took a taxi to the city center.
The Market Square is near Uspenski Cathedral. According to Wikipedia: The cathedral was built during the nineteenth century during a period in which Finland was part of the Russian Empire...during the years 1862 to 1868. The Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in western Europe and is situated upon a hillside on the Katajanokka Peninsula overlooking the city and the South Harbor. The cathedral is surmounted by 13 onion domes. On the back of the cathedral is a plaque commemorating Emperor Alexander II of Russia, ruler of Finland during its construction.
In August 2007, the nineteenth century icon of St Nicholas - The Wonder Worker, one of the valuable treasures of the cathedral, was stolen and has not been recovered. .
In the middle of the Market Square is Helsinki’s oldest public monument, the Tsarina’s Stone. It is an obelisk of red granite topped by a globe and a double-headed eagle.This was the emblem used by the Tsars of Russia. The eagle’s breastplate shows a lion, the coat of arms of Finland. The monument was erected in 1835 in honor of the visit by Tsar Nikolai I and the Tsarina Alexandra, who stepped ashore here.
In 1917, the year of the Russian Revolution and Finland’s independence, Russian seamen took down the globe and eagle, but the Finns kept them safe and put them back in 1971. There are few places anywhere else where original monuments to the old Russian royal family still exist.
A close-up of the base.
From spring to autumn, the Market Square is bustling with activity with vendors selling fresh Finnish food and souvenirs. The height of the square's popularity is in early October when the annual Helsinki "silakkamarkkinat" (Herring Market) begins.
Buyer beware...these seagulls are quite bold and have become an increasing menace in the Market Square, swooping down to snatch snacks and ice-cream from the hands of unsuspecting tourists.
Several classic boats line the harbor (and cruise ships as well, but no need for a photo of those).
I liked the turtle sculptures that mark off the parking lot.
posted by ~L~ @ 11:47 AM
<< Home