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Esplanadi

KaartinkaupunkiParks in HelsinkiSouthern Finland Province geography stubsSquares in HelsinkiStreets in Helsinki
Esplanadi, Helsinki, Finlandia, 2012 08 14, DD 01
Esplanadi, Helsinki, Finlandia, 2012 08 14, DD 01

Esplanadi (Swedish: Esplanaden), colloquially known as Espa, is an esplanade and urban park in downtown Helsinki, Finland, situated between the Erottaja square and the Market Square. It is bordered on its northern and southern sides by the Pohjoisesplanadi (Norra Esplanaden, North Esplanadi) and Eteläesplanadi (Södra Esplanaden, South Esplanadi) streets, respectively. Aleksanterinkatu runs parallel to Esplanadi. Esplanadi is well known as a popular walking area, and street performances are also often held in the park.Designed by the architect Carl Ludwig Engel, the park was originally opened in 1818. In 1827, Engels Teater (the predecessor of the Swedish Theatre), the first theatre building in Helsinki, also designed by Engel, was erected in a corner of the park. Centered in the park is a statue of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland, by his son Walter Runeberg. Other public art pieces include works by Viktor Jansson, Gunnar Finne and Lauri Leppänen. The eastern end of the park houses the Kappeli restaurant, which opened in 1867. In front of the restaurant is an outdoor stage, which hosts numerous live music performances. Other prestigious restaurants on the edge of the park include Restaurant Olo on Pohjoisesplanadi and Savoy Restaurant on Eteläesplanadi.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Esplanadi (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Esplanadi
Kluuvikatu, Helsinki Kaartinkaupunki (Southern major district)

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 60.1675 ° E 24.947777777778 °
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Address

Johan Ludvig Runeberg

Kluuvikatu
00130 Helsinki, Kaartinkaupunki (Southern major district)
Finland
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Website
hamhelsinki.fi

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Esplanadi, Helsinki, Finlandia, 2012 08 14, DD 01
Esplanadi, Helsinki, Finlandia, 2012 08 14, DD 01
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Wasa-Aktie-Bank Building
Wasa-Aktie-Bank Building

The Wasa-Aktie-Bank Building is an office building located at the corner of Eteläesplanadi and Kasarmikatu (Eteläesplanadi 12/Kasarmikatu 27) in the Kaartinkaupunki district of central Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland. It was originally built by Wasa-Aktie-Bank as its own office in 1898–99 and designed by Swedish-born architect John Settergren, then working for Grahn, Hedman & Wasastjerna, while Finland was still a Grand Duchy, territorially a part of the Czarist Russian Empire. The building is still used as a bank today, as the offices of Pohjola Varainhoito and the Royal Bank of Scotland.The architecture of the Wasa-Aktie-Bank Building has a Gothic flavor, inspired by the Renaissance palaces of Venice and Spain. A more direct model is the Hallwyl Palace in the center of Stockholm, designed by Isak Gustaf Clason and built from 1893 to 1898. The facade material used is Orsa sandstone, which was imported from Sweden's Taalainmaa. The coat of arms of Vaasa, referring to Wasa-Aktie-Bank's hometown, is carved into the upper part of the facade on the south (Esplanade) side. Originally, only the first floor of the building was used for offices and the other floors had luxurious apartments. In 1920, Wasa-Aktie-Bank merged into Suomen Liittopankki and later into Helsingin Osakepankki (HOP). The interior of the building was renovated several times between the 1930s and 1970s, when the apartments were converted to offices. After HOP, Svenska Handelsbanken's office has operated in the building, among others.