The Joensuu City Hall ( fi, Joensuun kaupungintalo) is a brick building in the center of

Joensuu Joensuu (; krl, Jovensuu; ) is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä (northern part of Lake Saimaa) at the mouth of the Pielinen River (''Pielisjoki''). It was founded in 1848. Th ...

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 ...

, designed by

Eliel Saarinen Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish-American Architecture, architect known for his work with art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Eero ...

and completed in 1914, combining styles of

Romantic Nationalism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

and late

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

. It serves as a center of culture and governance for the city. It houses the city's central administration, the city theater (the easternmost professional theater in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

) and a restaurant. The city hall is located on the banks of the Pielinen River on the Rantakatu street.Joensuun kaupunki – Kaupungintalo
(in Fiinish) After its completion on November 14, 1914, the new city hall corresponded quite closely to Saarinen's drawings, especially from its facades. The facade statues were designed by sculptor Johannes Haapasalo. In March 1966, a fire broke out at the city hall, which almost destroyed the building. The fire originated on the stage of the city theater and spread to the attic and tower of the

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...

. The fire was nonetheless contained so that the office part suffered only water damage. The buildings archives were successfully evacuated, but the seats attached to the floor in the theatre remained in place. The building's structures had to be renovated, and the ventilation system was almost completely rebuilt. The surroundings of the city hall were renewed in the 1990s and 2000s. The promenade has been reduced by about a meter and the lowest floor of the house has become more prominent. The city hall was renovated in 1998. The

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

of the theater restaurant in the city hall is a popular venue for

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and other club-type

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

s. The downstairs theater club regularly hosts smaller live concerts.Joensuun kaupungintalo – Matkailu-opas
(in Finnish)

References

External links

Joensuu City Hall
at Joensuuopas.com (in Finnish) Buildings and structures completed in 1914 Buildings and structures in North Karelia Buildings designed by Eliel Saarinen City and town halls in Finland Government buildings Joensuu {{finland-stub

See also

References

External links