I’ve always thought that if you want to know the local features of a city, you should go to the market, and it is the Helsinki Market Square which is located at the southern end of Helsinki’s historic city center, on the edge of Helsinki’s Southport bay.
Until the early 1800s, the market place was a mud patch on the edge of the fisherman’s wharf. Fishermen used the bay as a trading place. They tied their boats to the wharf and sold fish to the citizens of Helsinki. The market square appeared in the early 1800s, when downtown Helsinki was re-established as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland.
In the center of the market square is Helsinki’s oldest public monument, the Empress Stele, which was erected to commemorate the first visit of Empress Alexandra, wife of Nicholas I, to Helsinki in 1835.
The Havis Amanda, a famous statue and a fountain, was also erected at its present location at the Market Square in 1908.
There are white and orange sheds on the square. At first, I didn’t know what the difference was. After asking, I realized that the white tent is mainly selling Nordic handicrafts and souvenirs, while the orange tent is mainly providing Finnish food, snacks and fruit.
SkyWheel Helsinki can also be seen at the pier. It stands at a height of about 40 meters and offers a panoramic view of the city.
When visiting Helsinki, most people will probably go to the Kauppatori to dig and browse. From here, it’s very close to other attractions, like the Helsinki Episcopal Cathedral 、Uspenski Cathedral, and the whole area is great for walking.
