Esplanadi ( sv, Esplanaden), colloquially known as Espa, is an
esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
and
urban park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
in downtown
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, situated between the
Erottaja
Erottaja ( sv, Skillnaden), meaning "the separator", is a public square near the centre of Helsinki, Finland.
Erottaja square has been selected as the official geographic " zero point" of Helsinki. Distances to all other cities in Finland are meas ...
square and the
Market Square
The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.Aleksanterinkatu runs parallel to Esplanadi. Esplanadi is well known as a popular walking area, and street performances are also often held in the park.
Designed by the architect Carl Ludwig Engel, the park was originally opened in 1818. In 1827, Engels Teater (the predecessor of the
Swedish Theatre
The Swedish Theatre ( sv, Svenska Teatern) is a Swedish-language theatre in Helsinki, Finland, and is located at the Erottaja ( sv, Skillnaden) square, at the end of Esplanadi ( sv, Esplanaden). It was the first national stage of Finland.
His ...
), the first theatre building in Helsinki, also designed by Engel, was erected in a corner of the park. Centered in the park is a statue of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland, by his son
Walter Runeberg
Walter Magnus Runeberg (29 December 1838 – 23 December 1920) was a Finnish neo-classical sculptor. He was the son of Finnish national epic poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg.
Biography
Runeberg was born in Porvoo as the eldest son of J. L. Runeberg ...
. Other public art pieces include works by
Viktor Jansson
Viktor Bernhard "Faffan" Jansson (1 March 1886 in Helsinki – 22 June 1958 in Helsinki) was a Finnish sculptor belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland.
Early life
Jansson was born in Helsinki in 1886 to Julius Viktor Jansson a ...
,
Gunnar Finne
Johan Gunnar Finne (4 April 1886 – 17 September 1952) was a Finnish sculptor. The architect Elna Kiljander became a single mother after a brief marriage with Finne from 1918 to 1926.
Finne's best-known work is the memorial for the author Zac ...
and
Lauri Leppänen Lauri may refer to:
* Lauri (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Lauri (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Lauri, Põlva County, a village in Estonia
* Lauri, Rapla County, a village in Estonia
* Lauri, VÃ ...
.
The eastern end of the park houses the Kappeli restaurant, which opened in 1867. In front of the restaurant is an outdoor stage, which hosts numerous live music performances. Other prestigious restaurants on the edge of the park include Restaurant Olo on Pohjoisesplanadi and Savoy Restaurant on Eteläesplanadi.Savoy Restaurant (in English)
Gallery
See also
*
Central Park (Helsinki)
Central Park ( fi, Helsingin keskuspuisto, sv, Helsingfors centralpark) is a park in Helsinki, Finland. It has an area of . The park stretches from Töölönlahti Bay in the south to the border of Helsinki and Vantaa in the north.
The park is ...
*
Kolmikulma
Kolmikulma ( sv, Trekanten; literally meaning "Triangle"), also known as the Diana Park, is a small, rectangular triangular-shaped park located in the Kaartinkaupunki district in the city center of Helsinki, Finland. It is limited by the Yrjönk ...