Helsinki’s largest church, with seating for 2600 worshippers, is the soaring neo-Gothic St John’s Lutheran Church. Designed by Swedish architect Adolf Melander, it's topped by distinctive 74m-high twin spires. Construction began in 1888; it was consecrated in 1891. Excellent acoustics make it a memorable place for free organ concerts at 7pm on Wednesdays in August, as well as ticketed concerts throughout the year – check the program online.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Design Museum

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An unmissable stop for Finnish design aficionados, Helsinki's Design Museum has a permanent collection that looks at the roots of Finnish design in the…

2. Museum of Finnish Architecture

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Finland's architecture museum occupies a neo-Rennaissance building dating from 1899. Exhibitions are its key focus, including the fascinating Decades of…

3. Helsinki Observatory

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Operating as an observatory from 1834 to 2010, this CL Engel–designed building within pretty Observatory Hill Park now contains an astronomy museum with…

4. Observatory Hill Park

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Designed in 1868 by Swedish landscaper Knut Forsberg in the style of a German city park, and completed in 1889 by his compatriot Svante Olsson, this…

5. Vanha Kirkko

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Helsinki’s most venerable church is this white wood 1826 beauty, designed by CL Engel. Opposite the church is a memorial to Elias Lönnrot, compiler of the…

6. Esplanadin Puisto

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7. Johan Ludvig Runeberg Statue

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Finland's national poet and composer of the Finnish national anthem, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, is commemorated by a statue in the city's central Esplanadin…

8. Memorial to Elias Lönnrot

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Across from the Vanha Kirkko is this memorial to Elias Lönnrot, compiler of the Kalevala epic, depicting the author flanked by his most famous character, …