Torikorttelit today is an active centre of cafés, restaurants and small boutiques offering everything from new design and experimental kitchen art to local handicrafts and traditional Finnish treats.
The cultural offerings at Torikorttelit are lively all year round: you can spend summer evenings at the open-air cinema or listening to concerts, while in wintertime you can do your Christmas shopping and sip mulled wines in the cosy courtyards. The appeal of the area is enhanced by its location right in the heart of maritime Helsinki: just a few steps away you can enjoy the enticing smells of the fish stalls in the Market Square and listen to the cry of the seagulls – just like in the old days!
Helsinki’s “New Old Town”
The history of the buildings in the Torikorttelit area stretches back to the Swedish Empire. In 1640, Per Brahe the Younger moved Helsinki from the mouth of the Vantaanjoki river to the Vironniemi peninsula, where Senate Square is now located. At the beginning of the Russian period of Finnish history in the early 19th century, Helsinki was made the new capital. To carry this role, it needed a prestigious centre, which was subsequently designed by Johan Albrecht Ehrenström and Carl Ludvig Engel in accordance with Neoclassical ideals.
The Empire-style centre has been retained to this day. The oldest building is Sederholm House, which dates back to 1757 and now houses Helsinki City Museum. The handprint of architect Engel, in particular, can be seen in the main building of the University of Helsinki and the Government Palace, not to mention in the majestic Helsinki Cathedral, which dominates Senate Square and is very much the symbol of the Finnish capital.
The beautiful Torikorttelit area was for a long time the administrative centre of the city. In the early 2000s, work began on revitalising the area in response to the wishes of locals: courtyards were opened to the public and spaces renovated for various new functions. Locals quickly made the area their own, as did visitors.
While City Hall is still located in the area, it too has been modernised in recent years. The lobby of the building is now an open event space that is used for a variety of purposes.
