Hotel Torni () is a historical
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
located in
Kamppi,
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, and a part of the
Sokos Hotels
Sokos Hotels is a Finnish hotel chain. It is the largest hotel chain in Finland, with a total of 49 hotels in 30 different cities and municipalities. Forty-five hotels are located in Finland, one in Tallinn, Estonia, and three in Saint Petersburg, ...
hotel chain. When opened in 1931, it became the
tallest building in Finland, a position it maintained until the completion of the new
Neste headquarters in neighboring
Espoo
Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...
in 1976. It remained the tallest building in Helsinki until it was overtaken by
Itäkeskuksen maamerkki in 1987. The interior of the building was completely renovated in 2005. It is located in central Helsinki, in the so-called Helsinki Design District.
History
The hotel was designed by architects Jung & Jung in 1928, and has 14 stories. It is allegedly the place where the murder of the
Mata Hari
Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...
-like
Minna Craucher
Madame Minna Craucher (23 August 1891 – 8 March 1932) was the false name of Maria Vilhelmiina Lindell, a Finnish socialite and spy. Her home was a noted salon for various writers and artists. She also did espionage, originally for the Cheka, th ...
was planned in 1932.
The hotel served the needs of air defense during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when members of the Finnish women's paramilitary organization
Lotta Svärd
Lotta Svärd () was a Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women. Formed originally in 1918, it had a large membership undertaking volunteer social work in the 1920s and 1930s. It was formed to support the White Guard. Du ...
used it as a watchtower to spot Soviet bombers. Immediately after the cessation of the war, Hotelli Torni served as the headquarters of the
Allied Control Commission
Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allies were in control of the defeated Axis countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission and a proposed Far Easter ...
monitoring Finnish compliance with the obligations of the
Moscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of mo ...
. It became known as a center of culinary excellence.
Restaurants
In Hotel Torni, there are several restaurants including ''Ravintola Torni'' (dining), ''Ateljee Bar'' (top of the tower with view over downtown Helsinki, known especially for the toilets which have scenic glass walls to the outside), ''American Bar'' (American style bar), and ''O'Malley's'' (Irish bar). The Ateljee Bar provides a monthly changing art exhibition featuring Finnish artists.
See also
*
List of tallest buildings in Finland
This is a list of all buildings in Finland with a height of over 60 metres (197 feet), excluding churches. Notable future building projects include the 8 REDI towers in Kalasatama, Helsinki, and the nine towers that will be built in Pasila, Hel ...
*
Hotel Kämp
Hotel Kämp () is an historic hotel in Kluuvi, Helsinki, Finland. It is a member of Leading Hotels of the World.
The hotel, originally built in 1887 by Carl Kämp, was designed by Theodor Höijer. The building was demolished and the facade was r ...
*
Hotel Marski
Hotel Marski (or Marski by Scandic) is a hotel opened 1962 on Mannerheimintie 10 in Helsinki, Finland.
The hotel was built by Alko-owned Arctia Oy and the nine-storey building with strip windows was designed in 1961 by architect Einari Teräsvir ...
*
Palace Hotel
External links
Sokos Hotel Torni: historyA video starring Hotel TorniHelsinki Design District
{{Helsinki Cityscape
Torni
Torni
Hotel buildings completed in 1931
Skyscrapers in Finland
Skyscraper hotels