Senaatintori (Senate Square), Helsinki (must see)

Senate Square is the symbolic heart of Helsinki and one of Finland's most significant historical and architectural landmarks. Occupying the site of a 17th- and 18th-century graveyard, the square was incorporated into the city's new master plan in 1812, following Helsinki's designation as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland under Russian rule.

Senate Square is one of Europe's finest and most harmonious neoclassical ensembles. Towering above the square is the magnificent Helsinki Cathedral, originally dedicated as the Church of Saint Nicholas and completed in 1852. Opposite the cathedral stand the Government Palace, completed in 1822 and still used today by the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the main building of the University of Helsinki, finished in 1832. On the southeastern corner stands Sederholm House, dating from 1757 and considered the oldest stone building in central Helsinki.

At the center of the square rises the 1894 statue of Emperor Alexander II. During the final decades of Russian rule, the monument became a symbol of Finnish resistance, as residents placed flowers beneath it to protest the restrictive policies of Tsar Nicholas II while honoring Alexander II, remembered locally as "the good tsar."

Today, Senate Square remains one of Helsinki's liveliest public spaces, hosting festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, the popular Helsinki Christmas Market, and numerous civic celebrations throughout the year. If you climb the cathedral's broad staircase, you will be rewarded with one of the city's classic panoramic views. Each day at 5:49 p.m., a digital carillon echoes across the square and is best heard near the Alexander II statue. The elegant setting has also attracted filmmakers, most notably serving as a convincing stand-in for Soviet Saint Petersburg in the 1981 film Reds.