The Old Student House ( fi, Vanha ylioppilastalo, colloquially called ''Vanha'', "the old one"; sv, Gamla studenthuset) is the former student house of the

Student Union of the University of Helsinki The Student Union of the University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopiston ylioppilaskunta, HYY, sv, Studentkåren vid Helsingfors universitet, HUS) was founded in 1868. It currently has 32,000 members and is one of the world's richest student o ...

, located in central Helsinki, Finland, near the crossing of

Aleksanterinkatu Aleksanterinkatu ( sv, Alexandersgatan; "Alexander Street") is a street in Kluuvi, the commercial centre of Helsinki, Finland. In the city plan by Carl Ludvig Engel, it was the ''Decumanus Maximus'', the main east–west street in the city, cross ...

and Mannerheimintie.

Description

The building was designed by Axel Hampus Dalström and was completed in 1870. It represents the neo-renaissance style of architecture. The student house was originally built at the edge of the city centre, so the students' parties would not disturb other citizens. The construction was funded by a collection from the citizens. In dedication of this collection, the façade of the building bears the Latin inscription ''Spei suae patria dedit'' ("Fatherland gave to its hope"). Nowadays, the student house is located in the inner centre of Helsinki, near the

Three Smiths Statue The Three Smiths Statue is a sculpture by Felix Nylund, situated in Helsinki, Finland, in Three Smiths Square at the intersection of Aleksanterinkatu and Mannerheimintie. This realistic statue, unveiled in 1932, depicts three naked smiths hammeri ...

. Near the student house is located the New Student House, completed in 1910. At that point the Old Student House got its current name. In 1938 there was a discussion about whether the Old Student House should be dismantled to give place for a new business house. On November 25, 1968, one day prior to the Student Union's centennial celebration, a large group of students occupied the Old Student House which was designated as the location of the festivities. There was a fire in 1978 that badly damaged the building. Old Student House contains many famous Kalevala themed works of art, such as

Akseli Gallen-Kallela Akseli Gallen-Kallela (26 April 1865 – 7 March 1931) was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic. His work is considered a very important aspect of the Finnish national ident ...

's mural ''

Kullervo Rides to War ''Kullervo Sets Off for War'' ( fi, Kullervon sotaanlähtö) is a painting by Akseli Gallen-Kallela from the year 1901. He painted the subject in tempera painting (89 × 128 cm) and as a fresco (355 × 687 cm) which is located in the m ...

'' and

Robert Wilhelm Ekman Robert Wilhelm Ekman (August 13, 1808 – February 19, 1873), R. W. Ekman, was a significant teacher and painter of the Finnish romantic portraits and early national romanticism. Childhood and Arts Education Robert Ekman was born in Uusikaupun ...

's 390 cm tall painting ''Väinämöinen's Play''.

Choirs and orchestra

Three choirs and one symphony orchestra rehearse in the Music Hall of Old Student House: * Akademiska Sångföreningen *

YL Male Voice Choir YL Male Voice Choir (formerly: Helsinki University Chorus; fi, Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat) was founded by P. J. Hannikainen in 1883 to become the choir of the Helsinki University. It is also the oldest Finnish-language choir. Nowadays the choir is ...

Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra The Ylioppilaskunnan Soittajat ("YS", the Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra) is a symphony orchestra resident in Helsinki, Finland. YS was founded in 1926. It is a full-sized symphony orchestra, and performs concerts and tours both at home i ...

Akademiska Damkören Lyran The Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran ( sv, Akademiska Damkören Lyran, lit=The Academic Women's Choir the Lyre, ), also referred to as simply , is a Finland-Swedish academic female voice choir in Helsinki, Finland. It is the only women's c ...

Gallery

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Helsinki Renaissance Revival architecture School buildings completed in 1870 Kluuvi