Töölöntori () is an urban square and

marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

in the

Töölö Töölö (; , formerly spelled ''Thölö'') is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö () and Taka-Töölö () in Helsinki, Finland. The neighbourhoods are located next to the city centre, occupying the western side of the Helsin ...

district of central

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. It is bounded in the west by

Runeberginkatu Runeberginkatu () is a major street in central Helsinki, Finland. Starting from Kampintori, it runs in a sweeping arc broadly northwards for approximately through the districts of Kamppi and Töölö, via Töölöntori square, terminating at ...

and the southern end of Topeliuksenkatu, in the north by Tykistönkatu; Töölöntorinkatu forms its eastern limit, and Sandelsinkatu its southern. Töölöntori is a local transport node, due to the busy road traffic along Runeberginkatu and Topeliuksenkatu, as well as

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

s (as of January 2021, routes 1, 2 and 8) traversing it. The planned extension of the

Helsinki Metro The Helsinki Metro (, ) is a rapid transit system serving the Helsinki capital region, Finland. It is the world's most northern, the world's northernmost metro system. It was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planni ...

network also includes a new station at Töölöntori. The square is used for daily (Mon-Sat) open-air markets, as well as occasionally hosting other functions. It is also partly used for car parking. Following a design competition by the City of Helsinki, there are plans to develop the space in a more resident-friendly manner, to include a fountain, new seating areas, a market hall and, in the winter, an

ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water or an artificial sheet of ice where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The growth and increasing popularity of ...

. Much of the Töölöntori and surrounding cityscape dates back to 1930s, and forms part of the Taka-Töölö urban milieu, recognised by

Docomomo Docomomo International (sometimes written as DoCoMoMo or simply Docomomo) is a non-profit organization whose full title is: International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement. ...

for its architectural merits, and designated and protected by the

Finnish Heritage Agency The Finnish Heritage Agency (, ), previously known in English as the National Board of Antiquities, preserves Finland's material cultural heritage: collects, studies and distributes knowledge of it. The agency is a cultural and research institutio ...

as a nationally important built cultural environment (''Valtakunnallisesti merkittävä rakennettu kulttuuriympäristö'').

References

{{coord, 60.1790, 24.9242, display=title Töölö Squares in Helsinki