Finland Guide
Helsinki and the south
The Parliament Building
Opening time: Guided tours July & Aug Mon– Fri 11am & 1pm, Sat 11am & 12.30pm, Sun noon & 1.30pm; Sept– June Sat & Sun only, same times; when in session, access is to the public galleries only
Price: Free
Website: www.eduskunta.fi
Address: Mannerheimintie
The Parliament Building was the work of J.S. Sirén; the porridge-coloured structure, with its fourteen pompous Corinthian columns and choking air of solemnity, was completed in 1931. Intended to celebrate the new republic, its style was drawn from the revolutionary Neoclassicism that dominated public buildings from Fascist Italy to Nazi Germany, and its authoritarian features can appear wildly out of place in Helsinki, though it's worth a look nonetheless.