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CONTENTS
Welcome to the Helsinki Metropolitan Area 8 Eat Finland! 10
The policeman who could write 14
Like an adult amusement park 18 Map of the metropolitan area 20 Hotels providing Metropolitan Times 22 Kiasma's hidden highlights 25 A surrealist on the ski jumping hill 30 Captain Finland and the sauna etiquette 34 Would you like to return to your eternal youth? – Column by Hannele Lampela 36
Metropolitan Times
Magazine for Visitors
Issue 1/2025
Summer www.metropolitantimes.fi
ISSN 2489-2688 (print)
ISSN 2669-8277 (online)
Graphic design & layout
Petteri Mero
Mainostoimisto Knok Oy
The magazine is
Editor in chief Roope Lipasti
Sales manager Raimo Kurki
raimo.kurki@aikalehdet.fi Tel. +358 45 656 7216
Sales manager Kari Kettunen
kari.kettunen@aikalehdet.fi Tel. +358 40 481 9445
Published by Mobile-Kustannus Oy Betaniankatu 3 LH FI-20810 Turku, Finland
Member of Finnish Magazine Media Association (Aikakausmedia)
Publisher Teemu Jaakonkoski
Printed by Newprint Oy
Cover photos Helsinki from above . Photo: Kari Ylitalo / Helsinki Partners
Traditional sauna culture in Lonna Island . Photo: Svante Gullichsen / Helsinki Partners Flow Festival . Photo: Ninni West / Helsinki Partners
Dinner under the sky . Photo: Svante Gullichsen / Helsinki Partners
Hannele Lampela. Photo: Niki Strbian 14
Welcome to the Military Museum
Discover the colourful phases of Finnish military history. In our exhibitions come face-to-face with historical objects from the Second World War, explore the wonderful collection of trench art and frontline illustrations and learn more about the Finnish conscript service and training. VISIT
Explore trench art
Shattered tree stems standing lonely in a ghastly moonlight, gentle waves glistening in a sunlight across the shores, a solitary soldier looking at the ruins of his destroyed home – these are some of the images captured by the Information Company illustrators during the Continuation War.
The Continuation War began in the summer of 1941 and ended in the autumn of 1944. As the front line advanced deep into the lost territories of Karelia, art was used to record a land and people shaped by the battles fought there.
The exhibition Altered by War explores the history of Continuation War through art and follows ordinary soldier´s journey from home through the battles of war to an altered reality of life after the war.
Earlier this year, the online publication TasteAtlas ranked the world’s worst-tasting foods, and Finland won – whoo-hoo! More specifically, the winner was the traditional Finnish dish veripalttu. The title was undoubtedly deserved. Veripalttu, a kind of blood pudding, contains beef or reindeer blood, rye and wheat flour, and water and tastes just as good as it sounds. If you’re unlucky enough, you might come across this dish in North Ostrobothnia.
In any case, it feels good to win. Though there are plenty of other traditional foods in Finland that also would have stood a good chance in the competition.
For example, the word klimppisoppa, ‘clump soup’, alone is enough to make older folks in Finland still shudder. It’s made by boiling beef bones or beef shoulder, and the clumps – balls of wheat dough – are added at the end. The finished dish looks like vomit. It’s a South Ostrobothnian idea of tasty food.
Meanwhile, Savo’s gift to the world is mykyrokka. It’s a soup that contains potatoes, meat, heart, offal and dumplings called myky. The dumplings are clumps (more clumps!) made from flour and blood, which are cooked in boiling water.
And what about the traditional Turku – or more broadly, Western Finnish – dish, kaljavelli? It’s a soup made from home-brewed small ale, raisins and cubes of leipäjuusto, ‘bread cheese’. The question arises: why?
Fortunately, Finland has better things to offer, as well. The following foods are genuinely delicious and things that a tourist should try at least once.
Poronkäristys
Sautéed reindeer, a dish from Lapland, is made from reindeer round steak. But despite its main ingredient, it can be found all over the country. On the side, you’ll need a mash of delicious ‘Puikula’ potatoes
Written by roope Lipasti transLated by Christina saarinen
There is one downside, however, for a police officer who becomes a detective novelist:
“I can’t take shortcuts with credibility. I can’t just make my characters do whatever kind of fantastic stunts. Everything has to be plausible and possible. The register I write in doesn’t allow for things to go in a way that they really couldn’t.”
For example, there is a scene in one of his books where a person in a bulletproof vest is shot to death on a golf course with a compound bow and target-shooting arrow. Rönnbacka had to try it out and discovered that an arrow like that wouldn’t penetrate a bulletproof vest. So the victim in the book was killed by a direct shot to the head.
Detective writers often think their plots through to the last detail before they actually start writing. Rönnbacka is an exception here too:
“I live from hand to mouth. I tell lies at the keyboard for a day, and then I see where it leads.”
That is how police work is done, after all: slowly moving forward as new information becomes available. For Rönnbacka, an important aspect of a story is its editing – in a cinematic sense. How much should be revealed? In any case, the reader always knows more than the characters.
“Readers are also smart and have imaginations. That’s why I only describe what I have to for the purposes of the plot. And Stieg Larsson taught me not to touch local politics, even with a ten-foot pole. They’re so boring.”
“It hasn’t become a global hit yet, but let’s wait and see! It’s fun to make a book with the hope that the person listening to it falls asleep.”
Liquor, that fuel that drives writers’ souls, is also close to Rönnbacka’s heart. It’s not that he’s a drinker, per se, but he has established an entire gin brand and distillery.
Its name is Authors’ Distillery, and there are other authors involved too, but the idea was originally Rönnbacka’s. He was writing a whisky book about Finnish distilleries and fell in love with the atmosphere, stories and people – and wanted something similar for himself.
“Making whiskey is so slow that it takes a long time to get your money back. But gin is ready faster. I got a good group together, and we thought about what the company’s story should be. We came up with the idea that it’s the writers themselves.” The company was founded in a temperance society building in Helsinki, Rönnbacka says.
This story perhaps best describes Rönnbacka’s method of working:
“Publishers always want to know the title of a book eight months before it comes out. But how am I supposed to know? One time, I was on my way home from a long meeting where they had nagged me about the title of a book, and I heard the song ‘Rafael’s Angel’ on the radio. I decided to use Rafael as the title. So then I thought about what Rafael could mean and decided it was a call sign from the war in Ukraine. I placed a Finnish soldier who had served there in Porvoo, and had him bump into young Sebastian, who was being harassed by roadmen. From there, I started following what would happen when Sebastian wanted revenge.”
A bedtime storybook for men
Rönnbacka is from Ostrobothnia, and perhaps the traditional entrepreneurial spirit of that region explains why he always has so many different projects going on. One of the most unique has been a bedtime storybook for men. It’s an audiobook featuring recordings of his own idea of pleasant, soothing sounds especially for men. It’s called Nuku Perkele! (Sleep, Damn It!), and it includes, among other things, loading an assault rifle magazine, an idling Land Rover Defender engine, a whittler carving curls of wood, and rifling through a box of fishing lures.
I put an ad in the paper that said we were buying juniper berries. Now I have a juniperium there - kind of like an imperium.
Only after they came up with the story did they start thinking about the product itself. They started with gin, but soon added rum. And since there are also real spirits professionals involved, who actually run the distillery, the gin turned out well:
“We participated in the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London, where there were a total of 1,000 different gins from 700 manufacturers, and Readers’ Gin won gold in the Gin & Tonic category! Our rum, which was less than a year old, received a bronze medal, which is a great showing for a rum that was practically still in diapers.”
Some of the authors’ gins use juniper berries Rönnbacka has shipped from Åland, where junipers grow to excess. The shrub is seen mostly as a weed there, and the berries hadn’t been harvested before. Even Åland’s own distillery wasn’t using them – they ordered their berries from Southern Europe like everyone else.
But now, that’s changed:
“I put an ad in the paper that said we were buying juniper berries. People called and said, great, but how do you pick them? I said I had no idea, but let’s figure it out. Now I have a juniperium there – kind of like an imperium.”
Authors’ Distillery products are available at certain Alko locations. You can also order them online and try your luck at some restaurants. Gin and tonic is close to Rönnbacka’s heart too:
“My body doesn’t believe I’m on holiday until I’ve had a gin and tonic in the hotel lobby bar.” s
Over a decade, Anna-Riikka Carlson visited every one of Finland’s national parks.
When Anna-Riikka Carlson, the fiction publisher at Finland’s largest publishing house, WSOY, turned 40 a little over ten years ago, she set herself a challenge: she would visit every one of Finland’s national parks before she turned 50.
And so she did, visiting the last of the 41 parks last November. The story actually began when her brother, Jarkko Nieminen , ended his successful career as a professional tennis player and returned home with the thought that he never wanted to travel anywhere again. He just wanted peace and quiet at his cabin and to spend time in nature.
“I suggested this national park thing, and we did visit a few together. But some other things came up for him – three children – so the project was put on hold, but I kept going.”
Carlson is the kind of person who has never wanted to measure or tabulate anything in her free time, since she does more than enough of that at work. So at first, it felt a bit strange to be checking off places one by one:
“And what’s more, it ended up being really important to me! When I visited the last national park on the list in November, I felt a bit empty. Like, what now?”
Anna-Riikka Carlsson in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, Muonio, Lapland.
transLated by Christina saarinen
Want to go to a bog with me?
Well, life goes on, and there’s nothing that says you can’t visit the same natural site twice. In any case, it was a wonderful experience:
“I saw more Finnish nature than I ever would have otherwise. And on top of the natural sights, I got to visit a lot of cities and places that I otherwise probably never would have. Another great thing was that I got up the nerve to ask friends to come along. People suggest going for coffee all the time, but it was kind of a big deal to ask somebody if they wanted to go to a bog with me. It deepened a lot of friendships, and of course my own relationship with nature – I read a lot of nature literature.”
Originally, Carlson had a rule that she could check off a park if she had hiked at least ten kilometers there. Sometimes the trip could take a week, even.
“But some national parks are so small that you can’t really cover ten kilometers without walking in a circle. So what I did was choose the nicest route, even if it was shorter. The deciding factor could be something like a nice swimming spot along the way. I might also spend part of the day just reading a book on an outcrop of rock.”
Nature’s own library card
Carlson says that for her, as a middle-aged person, hiking was a big deal at first, physically speaking:
“I had never done anything like that before, and I had never been particularly physically active. But I managed, and it was fun! I’m now on a bit of a mission to make the experience possible for others. I know a lot of women my age who would like to experience something like this but don’t dare do it alone. The intention is to organize at least a couple of trips for a slightly larger group.”
Carlson has a clear favorite among the national parks: Urho Kekkonen National Park in Lapland.
“Partly because it was my first, back in 2015. It was like an adult amusement park. It was hard to believe how much fun it was! And the place is beautiful. There are forests, lakes, ponds, fells – everything that Finnish nature can offer. We stayed overnight in backcountry huts, and it gave me the same sort of feeling as being in a library – that somebody put this here for me, and it’s free!”
What is a national park?
A national park is a nature reserve whose primary purpose is to safeguard biodiversity. Each park represents a typical Finnish natural environment at its best, from the fells to the archipelago. The parks’ hiking trails are designed and maintained to guide visitors through the landscape in a nature-friendly way. You can stay overnight in tent camping areas, lean-tos, backcountry or rental huts, or in accommodations provided by private companies.
Finland’s first national parks were established in 1938, but their existence has only really been promoted since the 1970s. Today, there are 41 national parks in Finland, and they are located all over the country. The closest national park to any larger city is usually no more than an hour’s drive away. If you can’t make a trip to an actual national park, there are smaller nature trails in every city and municipality. They offer another convenient way to explore the Finnish forest.
For more information about Finland’s national parks, visit: www.luontoon.fi/en
Good shoes and snacks
The trails in the national parks are so well marked that it’s practically impossible to get lost. Every park has something special about its natural environment, though for the most part, you’ll have to be content with observing the vegetation because you’re unlikely to come across any larger animals:
“They know how to stay out of sight of people. In Lapland, I did see birds that we don’t have in the south, like willow grouse and Siberian jays. And when I was in the north for the first time, I was impressed by even ordinary animals, like reindeer. I wouldn’t be as thrilled by seeing something like that in quite the same way anymore.”
No special hiking equipment is necessary, at least not if you’re only going for a day:
“It’s worth having good shoes. I personally love my hiking boots – my husband thinks I use the word ‘love’ quite freely – but even regular sneakers are enough. And of course, it’s a good idea to take some snacks too! And a good friend. Though it can also be nice to hike alone!” s
North-west from Helsinki, Nuuksio National Park spreads over an area of forests and lakes in Espoo, Kirkkonummi and Vihti. Within the park there are several marked trails for hiking, biking and horse riding. Designated spots for grilling, camping and skiing are scattered across the park.
MAP OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA
Helsinki
Helsinki became the capital of Finland in 1812. Back then, it was merely a village, although it was founded as early as 1550. Nowadays Helsinki has got 675,000 inhabitants and is the largest city in Finland. More information: myhelsinki.fi.
Espoo
The first mention of Espoo dates back to 1431, but it was not granted city rights until 1972. There are several centres in Espoo, of which Leppävaara is the largest. It is the second largest city in Finland with 314,000 inhabitants. More information: visitespoo.fi.
Vantaa
Vantaa is Finland’s fourth largest and the oldest city in the capital region: the first mention of it dates back to 1352. Helsinki Airport is located in Vantaa. Just like Espoo, Vantaa has several centres. Inhabitants: 247,000. More information: visitvantaa.fi.
Greater Metropolitan Area
The metropolitan area and the municipalities or cities of Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Nurmijärvi, Sipoo, Tuusula, Mäntsälä, Pornainen and Vihti form the greater metropolitan area with a population of about 1.4 million inhabitants. Together with the cities of Porvoo, Lohja and Riihimäki, the population of the greater metropolitan area rises to about 1,600,000.
Metropolitan Times is available in these high standard hotels
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We elucidate the wonders of science, arts and starry sky.
EXHIBITION CENTRE THE OBSERVATORY
Fabianinkatu 33
Tue – Wed 12 – 16, Thu 12 – 20, Fri – Sat 12 – 16
DELICIOUS HELSINKI
Kopernikuksentie 1
Thu 12 – 20, Fri – Sat 12 – 16
Old Market Hall
Torikor elit
Teurastamo
Market Hall
Hakaniemi Market Hall
One of Keisalo’s personal favourites is a monumental piece by Finnish artist Marja Kanervo (b. 1958), covering an entire wall.
TodAy, KeisAlo HAs promised to give us an insider’s tour of Kiasma. She studied history and art history and now knows Kiasma and its exhibitions inside out, having worked here and at the other Finnish National Gallery museums for several years. Her daily duties include supervising the exhibition spaces, assisting visitors, answering questions, and, of course, sharing stories about the artworks with curious guests.
Let’s begin at the very start – the entrance hall.
Kiasma attracts visitors not only with its internationally renowned exhibitions but also with its impressive architecture. As you enter the museum, you’re greeted by a striking view of two tall concrete walls intersecting dramatically. A series of ramps and staircases invites visitors to explore further into the museum.
Keisalo often witnesses how, especially for first-time visitors, the museum lobby triggers a “wow” reaction. She recommends lingering in the space, walking from one end to the other, and looking upwards as well.
“The architecture and light in the lobby make you swoon.”
Designed by American architect Steven Holl , the museum opened its doors in 1998. Kiasma has five floors open to the public. The museum is fully accessible and all floors can be reached by lift.
“Kiasma is a popular destination for architecture students, too,” Keisalo notes.
Light plays an essential role in Kiasma's architecture. Holl was fascinated by the seasonal changes of natural light in Finland, and designed the building’s shapes and surfaces with that in mind.
For the best photos in the lobby, Keisalo suggests taking pictures either at the base of the ramp, near the top landing, or on the spiral staircase.
From tHe lobby, you can ascend to the exhibition spaces by ramp, stairs, or lift. Keisalo’s favourite choice is to take the lift directly to the fifth floor, where the doors open straight into the gallery.
Kiasma’s top-floor exhibitions feature solo shows by internationally renowned contemporary artists and rising stars in the field.
As you walk through the exhibition hall, a magnificent view awaits around the corner. A wall-sized window offers a sweeping panorama of Helsinki’s cityscape: to the left, the Parliament House, straight ahead, the Helsinki Musiikkitalo Concert Hall, and to the right, the Oodi Central Library. On the horizon you can spot the roller coasters and Ferris wheel of the Linnanmäki amusement park.
After enjoying the exhibition and the view, continue your journey downwards through the museum’s exhibition floors. This year, two of the floors are dedicated to a collection exhibition titled Rock, Paper, Scissors, showcasing the fascinating world of contemporary art materials like the ribbons of Dahlgren’s Wonderful World of Abstraction.
Keisalo admits she’s particularly fond of artworks that reveal something unexpected upon closer inspection.
“A little twist,” as she puts it.
There are plenty of those in Kiasma.
One of Keisalo’s personal favourites is a monumental piece by Finnish artist Marja Kanervo (b. 1958), covering an entire wall. Created specifically for Kiasma in 2013, the artwork looks like giant marble panels from afar. But up close, visitors discover that the patterns are actually made of human hair, cast into concrete.
“When people realise what the artwork is made of, their reactions range from surprise to amazement,” Keisalo says.
Another of her favourites is Dust Manifesto by Finnish artist Sara Bjarland (b. 1981). At first glance, the piece resembles a traditional
Keisalo looking at Marja Kanervo’s artwork Untitled (2013).
woven rug, but it’s actually crafted from cleaning mops – something most visitors don’t immediately recognise.
KiA smA’s collection ex H ibitions are assembled from the vast collections of the Finnish National Gallery, which include nearly 9,000 contemporary artworks by almost a thousand artists. The collection grows by about 60–100 works every year, and Kiasma is responsible for selecting new acquisitions.
Kiasma’s focus is primarily on contemporary artists from Finland and the surrounding region – Scandinavia and the Baltics. A visit to Kiasma offers a unique opportunity to experience the creativity and innovation of Finnish contemporary artists. The Rock, Paper, Scissors exhibition, for example, features both trailblazers and emerging artists.
One of the pioneers of Finnish contemporary art is Maria Duncker (b. 1963), who has two works on display in the current exhibition. Duncker’s pieces resemble traditional Finnish folk costumes – but are made from plastic shopping bags. Finnish visitors often recognise familiar logos from everyday grocery stores in the artworks. The plastic used is polyethylene, which will eventually degrade over time. The works are now about 25 years old, and their longevity is uncertain.
“One of the bags in the artwork is from Valintatalo, a grocery chain that no longer exists. Before the stores closed down, I made sure to save one of those bags. It’s a piece of Finnish history,” Keisalo says.
The younger generation of Finnish contemporary artists is also well represented in the exhibition. Sculptor Man Yau (b. 1991) has created a large-scale work that spans two gallery walls. This year, Yau was awarded the prestigious title of Young Artist of the Year in Finland.
After WAndering tHrougH the exhibitions, your visit naturally concludes back in the lobby, where you’ll find the museum shop – offering books, Finnish design products, and gifts. The lobby also houses Kiasma’s restaurant, whose terrace is the perfect spot to soak up the sun in summer while admiring Danish artist Nina Beier’s stunning fountain sculpture Women & Children.
One final tip: don’t miss the artwork outside Kiasma. On the museum’s forecourt, you’ll find Plunge, a monumental sculpture by American artist Richard Serra (1938–2024). Visitors are free to walk around – and through – the towering piece. It’s part of the Finnish National Gallery’s collection.
Keisalo hopes that visitors leave Kiasma feeling uplifted.
“I love museums – but I adore Kiasma,” she says. s
10–20
Taking a close look at Sara Bjarland’s Dust Manifesto (2022).
Maria Duncker, National Costumes IV (1998).
A surrealist on the ski jumping hill
A Finnish gallerist has added a jumping suit worn by legendary ski jumper Matti Nykänen to his collection because, in his opinion, Nykänen was the most surrealistic athlete in the world.
THe Art BAnk gAllery, on the island of Pargas in the Turku archipelago, houses the only private exhibition of Salvador Dalí works in the Nordic countries. Gallerist Ted Wallin, who has in numerous interviews assured incredulous journalists that he is the reincarnation of Dalí, has now acquired for his collection a jumping suit that ski jumper Matti Nykänen wore at least during a Four Hills Tournament in the 1980s. According to an interview with Helsingin Sanomat (6 February 2025), Wallin had a clear motivation: “Nykänen
Written by Matti MäKeLä transLated by Christina saarinen
I think that taking a couple of nights away, a “sh*t mom” holiday, as I call it, should be required by law, or at least be a taxdeductible work benefit.
dove into my work without even realizing it. Finnish brain researcher Mona Moisala has said that you should do something restorative every 90 minutes during the workday. And because my own brain finds returning to the self-centered, housework-resistant years of the ’90s so restorative, in just a few days I ended up creating more Finnish children’s literature than I had in a long time!
A few years ago, I heard about a retired woman who sold her apartment and belongings and moved into a hotel. She took only a few personal belongings with her – only the things she needed. At first, I thought, whoa, bold move, and I wondered what life would be like without snow shoveling and cleaning days. Quite restorative, I bet! How much work would she be able to get done, if she wanted to?
I think that taking a couple of nights away, a “sh*t mom” holiday, as I call it, should be required by law, or at least be a tax-deductible work benefit. It would be for the good of Finland! If each of us could take a break from being the project managers of our own lives from time to time to live the wonderfully messy, responsibility- and bill-free life of a teenager, I think Finns’ fatigue would decrease by about 1,100 percent, and productivity would increase at the same rate. That should do something for the GDP and national debt, don’t you think? s
Hannele Lampela is a children’s author from Loviisa, known for her stories about Princess Pikkiriikki (Itty Bitty Princess) and Paavali Pattinen (Benjamin Bateman). Hannele loves her work – especially if she gets to sleep in a hotel on a regular basis.
Written by hanneLe LaMpeLa transLated by Christina saarinen
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