Mannerheimintie, Helsinki

To the right of the Head Post Office in Helsinki is the Central Station (Rautatieasema; 1919), the finest building by Eliel Saarinen in Finland, with a 48m/160ft high clock tower.

On the north side of Helsinki's Station Square (Rautatientoru) is the Finnish National Theater (Kansallisteatteri; 1901), with a granite facade, and in front of it a monument by Wäinö Aaltonen (1934) to the Finnish national writer Aleksis Kivi. Beyond the Theater lies the Botanic Garden.

On the south side of Helsinki's Station Square is the National Museum of Art, usually known as the Ateneum after the name of the building it occupies (by C. T. Hoijer, 1884-87), which also houses the Finnish Academy of Art. This is Finland's finest art collection, mostly works of between 1700 and 1960. It is planned to house the collection of contemporary art in a gallery of its own. The Finnish section of the museum includes works by A. Edelfelt (1854-1905), E. Järnefelt (1863-1937), P. Halonen (1865-1933) and A. Gallén-Kallela (1865-1935) among many others. Among works by foreign masters are Rembrandt's "Monk Reading" and examples of contemporary art from many countries. In the sculpture hall are works by the Finnish sculptors V. Vallgren, W. Aaltonen, W. Runeberg and S. Hildén. In front of the entrance is a bronze figure (by V. Vallgren, 1929) of Albert Edelfelt.

Northwest of the Head Post Office in Helsinki, in Mannerheimintie, rises the Parliament Building (Eduskuntatalo), a monumental pile by J. S. Sirén (1930). In front of it are statues of three ex- Presidents of Finland, P. E. Svinhufvud (1861-1944), K. J. Ståhlberg (1865-1952) and K. Kallio (1873-1940).

At Mannerheimintie 34 in Helsinki is the National Museum (Kansallismuseo, 1912), with a tall spire. It contains a comprehensive collection of material on the culture and ethnography of Finland. Particularly notable stands the Finno-Ugrian collection, with traditional costumes and objects of everyday use. Various displays also document the development of Finland into a modern state. Opposite the National Museum, in a park, is the Municipal Museum.

North of the Municipal Museum in Helsinki, on the shores of Töölö Bay (Töölönlahti), is the Finlandia Hall, a concert and convention hall (first phase by Alvar Aalro, 1971), with a facade of Carrara marble. The Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe was signed here in July 1975. To the north of the hall is a park (home to large chessboards and chessmen), and beyond this again is the new Finnish National Opera House, inaugurated in November 1993 with a performance of the opera "Kullervo" by the Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen (who also wrote the libretto).