Hilda Hongell (born Hilda Sjöblom, 16 January 1867,

Mariehamn Mariehamn ( , ; fi, Maarianhamina ; la, Portus Mariae) is the capital city, capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finland, Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government of Åland, Government and Parliament of Åland, ...

- 10 June 1952) was the first female "master builder" in Finland, and is sometimes described as the first female

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

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 ...

although

Signe Hornborg Signe Ida Katarina Hornborg (8 November 1862, Turku – 6 December 1916, Helsinki) was a Finnish architect. Upon her reception of her architectural diploma in 1890, she became the first official female architect in the world. Biography A bishop ...

appears to deserve this title."Hilda Hongell"
''Mariehamns stad''. Retrieved 16 April 2012.

Early years

She grew up in the

Åland Islands Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1,580 km2, and a populati ...

, and began her career as a special student at Helsinki Industrial School in 1891. In those days only men could attend the industrial schools in the country, but because of her excellent results she was accepted as a regular student the following year, and began her career in architecture in 1894.

Style

At the turn of the 20th century, the ornamented Swiss style was favoured in Finland; Hongell used this style most effectively.

Designs

Hilda Hongell designed 98 buildings in the

district, mostly town houses and farm houses. Around 44 of them are still standing today.

Exhibitions

An exhibition of the architecture of Hongell, together with her contemporary Lars Sonck, titled "The old architecture of Mariehamn", took place in Helsinki in the summer of 2007.

Sons

Hilda Hongell's son Göran Hongell (1902-1973) was a distinguished glassware designer.

References

External links

Åland postage stamps featuring buildings by Hongell
1867 births 1952 deaths People from Mariehamn People from Turku and Pori Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) 20th-century Finnish architects Finnish women architects 19th-century Finnish women 20th-century Finnish women {{Åland-bio-stub