The website is a rich database of Helsinki’s history, where you can find expert articles on a wide range of topics. The project was launched and it is led by the City of Helsinki’s History Committee, which also publishes a book series on the history of Helsinki. Read more about the History Committee here.
The articles have been divided into three different categories: “Phenomena”, “Regions” and “Turning points”. You can find them and the articles and entities below them at the top of the website. Phenomena cover Helsinki through certain themes, such as everyday life, economy and culture. Regions focus on sites in Helsinki. The articles are broken down by the city’s official major districts into southern, central, eastern, etc. You can also use the search tool to search for information on your own Helsinki district by using it as a search term. The images in the articles can also be found using the “Search” tool. The magnifying glass symbol, representing the search tool, can be found both on the front page and on the top of the website. The website also includes a map service where you can compare maps and see all the interesting things the city has to offer. The website also includes links to other services that cover the history of Helsinki. We strive to select these websites carefully, but visiting them always takes place at the user’s own risk. The content of the website is constantly increasing. In the future, the website will cover all aspects of Helsinki’s history, major districts and periods of history. Did you not find what you were looking for? The editorial team welcomes all suggestions.
The website is a joint project by several units of the City of Helsinki. The IT administration unit and especially the City Archives team from the Helsinki City Executive Office are actively involved in the project. The Culture and Leisure Division is represented by the Helsinki City Museum. The Development Services of the Education Division are also taking part in the project. The writers are professionals in the field of history: researchers, teachers, archivists, museum staff, etc. The main contributor of each article is mentioned by name. A large number of researchers has also contributed to the creation of the website by doing background work for the articles, in particular Ulpu Marjomaa, Kalle Virtapohja, Minna Hilska and Niina Hägg. Some of the website’s articles have also been written as assignments by students of history at the University of Helsinki. Docent Mikko Huhtamies wrote the section “Heading out to sea and into the wide world” with the help of a grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Content has also been produced in cooperation with numerous other operators in the field of history. The editor in chief of the website is PhD Marko Halonen.