Swedish Theatre, Helsinki

This Swedish Theatre was the first such national stage for the country. It was started in 1827, and the first home of the company was completed in the same year. It is located at the Erottaja Square, which is at the end of Esplanadi Street. Unlike the National Theatre, this local company specializes in Swedish language performances.

The group quickly outgrew its location, as the popularity of the place grew. A new location was started in 1860. It was built on the current site of the Svenska Teatern. The early acting group was captained by Pierre Deland. Soon though, the Finnish language was used in performances. A new national company was formed in the early 20th Century, which goes on today. The group does performances in both languages. The building was majorly renovated in the 1930s. So now, you have a location with an 1800s style interior and a more modern exterior.

This institution is one of six such entities which in Finland that are designed to due performances in Swedish. Performances are done in Finnish and Swedish though, as both languages are formerly taught by the local schools to all children. This has created a situation where the theatre is patronized by a group of around 220,000 bi-lingual patrons.