Esplanadi (), 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 city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

in downtown

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, Finland, situated between the

Erottaja Erottaja (; ), ; ; ), 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 measured starting from here.Traffi ...

square and the

Market Square A market square (also known as a market place) is an urban square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. A market square is an open area where market stalls are tradit ...

. It is bordered on its northern and southern sides by the Pohjoisesplanadi (''Norra Esplanaden'', North Esplanadi) and Eteläesplanadi (''Södra Esplanaden'', South Esplanadi) streets, respectively.

Aleksanterinkatu Aleksanterinkatu (; "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, crossing the ''Cardo'', ...

runs parallel to Esplanadi. Esplanadi is well known as a popular walking area, and

street performance Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

s 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 ''Engels teater'' ('Engel Theatre') was a historic theatre in Helsinki (Helsingfors) in Finland, active between 1827 and 1860. It was the second theater in Finland after '' Bonuviers Teater'' in Turku (Åbo), and the first theatre in Helsinki. It w ...

(the predecessor of the

Swedish Theatre The Swedish Theatre () is a Swedish-language theatre in Helsinki, Finland, and is located at the Erottaja () square, at the end of Esplanadi (). It was the first national stage of Finland. History The first theatre in Helsinki, '' Engels Te ...

), 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 Statue of Johan Ludvig Runeberg is a statue dedicated to the Finland Swedish, Finland-Swedish author, national poet and priest Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804–1877), designed and sculpted by his son Walter Runeberg (1838–1920). The statue is l ...

, the national poet of Finland, by his son

Walter Runeberg Walter Magnus Runeberg (; 29 December 1838 – 23 December 1920) was a Finnish Neoclassical sculpture, neo-classical sculptor. He was the son of Finnish national epic poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. Biography Runeberg was born in Porvoo as the elde ...

. Other public art pieces include works by Viktor Jansson,

Gunnar Finne Johan Gunnar Finne (4 April 1886 – 17 September 1952) was a Finland, 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 aut ...

and Lauri Leppänen. 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

References

External links

Esplanade Park
in Green Hearts – Park Walks In Helsinki by City of Helsinki Public Works Department Parks in Helsinki Squares in Helsinki Streets in Helsinki Kaartinkaupunki {{SouthernFinland-geo-stub

Gallery

See also

References

External links