Editing Helsinki (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Helsinki}}
{{For timeline}}
[[File:Helsinki 1820.jpg|thumb|Central Helsinki in 1820 before rebuilding. Illustration by [[Carl Ludvig Engel]].]]
[[File:Suomenlinna Susisaari.jpg|thumb|Construction of [[Suomenlinna]], the largest European sea fortress of its era, began in 1748.]]

=== Early history ===
After the end of the [[Last Glacial Period|Ice Age]] and the retreat of the ice sheet, the first settlers arrived in the Helsinki area around 5000 BC. Their presence has been documented by archaeologists in [[Vantaa]], [[Pitäjänmäki]] and [[Kaarela]].<ref name="NKent">{{Cite book |first=Neil |last=Kent |title=Helsinki: A cultural and literary history |publisher=Signal Books |year=2004 |location=Oxford}}</ref> Permanent settlements did not appear until the beginning of the 1st millennium AD, during the [[Iron Age]], when the area was inhabited by the [[Tavastians]]. They used the area for fishing and hunting, but due to the lack of archaeological finds it is difficult to say how extensive their settlements were. [[Palynology|Pollen analysis]] has shown that there were agricultural settlements in the area in the 10th century, and surviving historical records from the 14th century describe Tavastian settlements in the area.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=V.-P. Suhonen and Janne Heinonen |title=Helsingin keskiaikaiset ja uuden ajan alun kylänpaikat 2011, Inventointiraportti. Museovirasto, Arkeologiset kenttäpalvelut |url=https://www.hel.fi/hel2/kaumuseo/rakennusinventoinnit/raportit/kyl_paikkainventointi.pdf}}</ref>

[[Christianity]] does not gain a significant foothold in Finland before the 11th century. After that, a number of [[Christian cross|crosses]] and other objects related to Christianity can be found in archaeological material. According to the traditional view, the [[Kingdom of Sweden (800–1521)|Kingdom of Sweden]] made three crusades to Finland, thanks to which the region was incorporated into both Christianity and the Swedish Empire. Recent research has shown that these expeditions, to the extent that there were even three of them, were not the crusades that had been imagined. Later, the conquest of Finland was justified in terms of "civilisation" and "christianisation", and the myth of the Crusades was developed. It is more likely that it was a multidimensional combination of economic, cultural and political power ambitions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-04 |title=Keskiaikainen Helsingin pitäjä {{!}} Historia Helsinki |url=https://historia.hel.fi/fi/kaannekohdat/alkujuuret-ja-perustaminen/keskiaikainen-helsingin-pitaja |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=historia.hel.fi |language=fi}}</ref>

The early settlements were raided by [[Vikings]] until 1008, and the [[Battle at Herdaler]] was a battle between the Norse Viking leader Olav Haraldsson (later King [[Olaf II of Norway]], also known as Saint Olaf) and local Finns at Herdaler (now [[Ingå]]), not far from Helsinga, around 1007–8.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Väätäinen |first=Erika |date=2022-03-04 |title=Were There Ever Vikings In Finland Or Finnish Vikings? |url=https://scandification.com/finnish-vikings-and-vikings-in-finland/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=Scandification |language=en-GB}}</ref> The [[Heimskringla|Saga of Olaf Haraldson]] tells how Olav raided the coasts of Finland and was almost killed in battle. He ran away in fear and after that the Vikings did not raid the coasts of Finland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Battle of Herdaler |url=http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/haraldson1.html | quote = Saga of Olaf Haraldson. See chapter 8: The Third Battle. }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Talvio |first=Tuukka |date=2002 |title= Suomen museo 2002 |location=Vammala |publisher= Suomen Muinaismuistoyhdistys |isbn=951-9057-47-1}}</ref>

Later the area was settled by Christians from Sweden. They came mainly from the Swedish coastal regions of [[Norrland]] and [[Hälsingland]], and their migration intensified around 1100.<ref name="NKent" />  The [[Swedish colonisation of Finland|Swedes permanently colonised]] the Helsinki region's coastline in the late 13th century, after the successful crusade to Finland that led to the defeat of the Tavastians.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tarkiainen |first=Kari |title=Ruotsin itämaa |publisher=Svenska litteratussällskapet i Finland |year=2010 |location=Helsinki |pages=122–125}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

In the Middle Ages, the Helsinki area was a landscape of small villages. Some of the old villages from the 1240s in the area of present-day Helsinki, such as [[Koskela]] and [[Töölö]], are now Helsinki districts, as are the rest of the 27 medieval villages. The area gradually became part of the Kingdom of Sweden and Christianity. [[King's Road (Finland)|Kuninkaantie]], or the "King's Road", ran through the area and two interesting medieval buildings were built here: {{ill|Vartiokylä hillfort|fi|Vartiokylän linnavuori}} in the 1380s and the [[Church of St. Lawrence, Vantaa|Church of St. Lawrence]] in 1455. In the Middle Ages, several thousand people lived in Helsinki's [[keep]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-04 |title=Keskiaikainen Helsingin pitäjä {{!}} Historia Helsinki |url=https://historia.hel.fi/fi/kaannekohdat/alkujuuret-ja-perustaminen/keskiaikainen-helsingin-pitaja |access-date=2024-02-13 |website=historia.hel.fi |language=fi}}</ref>

There was a lot of trade across the [[Baltic Sea]]. The shipping route to the coast, and especially to [[Reval]], meant that by the end of the Middle Ages the Helsinki region had become an important trading centre for wealthy [[peasant]]s, [[priest]]s and [[nobility|noble]]s in Finland, after [[Vyborg]] and [[Pohja]]. [[Fur]]s, [[wood]], [[tar]], [[fish]] and animals were exported from Helsinki, and [[salt]] and [[grain]] were brought to the fortress. Helsinki was also the most important cattle-breeding area in Uusimaa. With the help of trade, Helsinki became one of the wealthiest cities in Finland and Uusimaa. Thanks to trade and travel, e.g. to Reval, people could speak several languages, at least helpfully. Depending on the situation, Finnish, Swedish, Latin or Low German could be heard in the Helsinki area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-16 |title=Keskiaikaista arkea Helsingin pitäjässä {{!}} Historia Helsinki |url=https://historia.hel.fi/fi/ilmiot/arjen-muuttuvat-kasvot/keskiaikaista-arkea-helsingin-pitajassa |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=historia.hel.fi |language=fi}}</ref>

Written chronicles from 1417 mention the village of [[Koskela]] near the rapids at the mouth of the [[Vantaa River|River Vantaa]], where Helsinki was to be founded.<ref name="NKent" />

=== Founding of Helsinki ===
[[File:Helsinki Map 1645.png|thumb|left|upright|A map of Helsinki in 1645]]
Helsinki was founded by King [[Gustav I of Sweden]] on 12 June 1550 as a trading town called Helsingfors to rival the [[Hanseatic League|Hanseatic]] city of Reval (now [[Tallinn]]) on the southern shore of the [[Gulf of Finland]].<ref name="Tabblo100">{{cite web |title=Ruttopuisto&nbsp;– Plague Park |url=http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411112934/http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/409531/ |archive-date=11 April 2008 |access-date=3 November 2008 |publisher=Tabblo.com}}</ref><ref name="NKent" /> To populate the new town at the mouth of the [[Vantaa River]], the king ordered the [[bourgeoisie]] of [[Porvoo]], [[Raseborg]], [[Rauma, Finland|Rauma]] and [[Ulvila]] to [[Forced displacement|move]] there.<ref name="helsinki-history">{{cite web |title=Helsingin historia |url=http://www.hel.fi/www/Helsinki/fi/kaupunki-ja-hallinto/tietoa-helsingista/helsingin-historia-ja-arkistot/ |website=Helsingin kaupunki |language=fi}}</ref> The shallowness of the bay made it impossible to build a harbour, and the king allowed the settlers to leave the unfortunate location. In 1640, Count [[Per Brahe the Younger]], together with some descendants of the original settlers, moved the centre of the city to the [[Vironniemi]] peninsula by the sea, today's [[Kruununhaka]] district, where the [[Senate Square, Helsinki|Senate Square]] and [[Helsinki Cathedral]] are located.<ref name="matkaoppaat"/>

During the second half of the 17th century, Helsinki, as a wooden city, suffered from regular [[fire]]s, and by the beginning of the 18th century the population had fallen below 1,700. For a long time Helsinki was mainly a small administrative town for the governors of [[Nyland and Tavastehus County]], but its importance began to grow in the 18th century when plans were made to build a more solid naval defence in front of the city.<ref name="helsinki-history"/> Little came of these plans, however, as Helsinki remained a small town plagued by poverty, war and disease. The [[Great Northern War plague outbreak|plague]] of 1710 killed most of Helsinki's population.<ref name="Tabblo100" /> After the [[Battle of Helsinki (1713)|Russians captured]] Helsinki in May 1713 during the [[Great Northern War]], the retreating Swedish administration set fire to parts of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historia.hel.fi/fi/kaannekohdat/tuho-ja-jalleenrakennus/suuri-pohjan-sota-ja-helsingin-tuho|title=Suuri Pohjan sota ja Helsingin tuho|date=21 January 2022 |publisher=City of Helsinki|access-date=10 May 2023|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Seppo|last=Aalto|title=Kruununkaupunki – Vironniemen Helsinki 1640–1721|publisher=[[Finnish Literature Society]]|location=Helsinki|year=2015|isbn=978-952-222-675-4|language=fi}}</ref> Despite this, the city's population grew to 3,000 by the beginning of the 19th century. The construction of the naval fortress of [[Suomenlinna|Sveaborg]] (''Viapori'' in Finnish, now also called ''Suomenlinna'') in the 18th century helped to improve Helsinki's status. However, it wasn't until Russia defeated Sweden in the [[Finnish War]] and annexed Finland as the autonomous [[Grand Duchy of Finland]] in 1809 that the city began to develop into a substantial city. The Russians besieged the Sveaborg fortress during the war, and about a quarter of the city was destroyed in a fire in 1808.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Niukkanen |first1=Marianna |last2=Heikkinen, Markku |title=Vuoden 1808 suurpalo |url=http://www.nba.fi/helsinginarkeologiaa/keskusta_kohteet_1810.htm |access-date=14 July 2013 |website=Kurkistuksia Helsingin kujille |publisher=National Board of Antiquities |language=fi |archive-date=14 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214210101/http://www.nba.fi/helsinginarkeologiaa/keskusta_kohteet_1810.htm }}</ref>

Emperor [[Alexander I of Russia]] moved the capital of Finland from [[Turku]] to Helsinki on 8 April 1812 to reduce Swedish influence in Finland and bring the capital closer to [[St Petersburg]].<ref>{{cite web |title=8 April 1812 Emperor Alexander I promotes Helsinki to the capital of the Grand Duchy. - Helsinki 200 years as capital |url=http://www.helsinki200.fi/en/helsinki-1812-2012/1812-emperor-alexander-i-promotes-helsinki-capital-grand-duchy/ |access-date=21 January 2016 |archive-date=10 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810032003/http://www.helsinki200.fi/en/helsinki-1812-2012/1812-emperor-alexander-i-promotes-helsinki-capital-grand-duchy/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/news/3-5486170|title=Bicentennial of Helsinki as Finnish capital|work=[[Yle News]]|date=8 April 2012|access-date=8 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/1978-lobbying-for-helsinki-200-years-ago-2.html|title=Lobbying for Helsinki 200 years ago|work=[[Helsinki Times]]|date=19 April 2012|access-date=8 April 2022}}</ref> After the [[Great Fire of Turku]] in 1827, the [[Royal Academy of Turku]], the only university in the country at the time, was also moved to Helsinki and eventually became the modern University of Helsinki. The move consolidated the city's new role and helped set it on a path of continuous growth. This transformation is most evident in the city centre, which was rebuilt in the [[neoclassicism|neoclassical]] style to resemble St. Petersburg, largely according to a plan by the German-born architect [[Carl Ludvig Engel|C. L. Engel]]. As elsewhere, technological advances such as the railway and [[industrialisation]] were key factors in the city's growth.

===Twentieth century===

By the 1910s, Helsinki's population was already over 100,000, and despite the turbulence of Finnish history in the first half of the 20th century, Helsinki continued to grow steadily. This included the [[Finnish Civil War]] and the [[Winter War]], both of which left their mark on the city. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were roughly equal numbers of Finnish and [[Swedish-speaking population of Finland|Swedish speakers]] in Helsinki; the majority of workers were Finnish-speaking. The local [[Helsinki slang]] (or ''stadin slangi'') developed among Finnish children and young people from the 1890s as a mixed Finnish-Swedish language, with influences from [[German language|German]] and [[Russian language|Russian]], and from the 1950s the slang began to become more Finnish.<ref>{{cite book| author=Marjo Vilkko | title=Suomi on ruotsalainen | chapter=Stadin slangi | pages=216–219 | location=Helsinki | publisher=[[Schildts & Söderströms]] | year=2014 | isbn=978-951-52-3419-3 | language = fi}}</ref> A landmark event was the [[1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Olympic Games]], which were held in Helsinki. Finland's rapid urbanisation in the 1970s, which occurred late compared to the rest of Europe, tripled the population of the metropolitan area, and the [[Helsinki Metro]] subway system was built.

{{wide image|Southern Helsinki panorama 2011-06-28 1.jpg|650px|A panoramic view over the southernmost districts of Helsinki from [[Hotel Torni]]. The [[Helsinki Old Church]] and its surrounding park are seen in the foreground, while the towers of [[St. John's Church, Helsinki|St. John's Church]] (near centre) and [[Mikael Agricola Church]] (right) can be seen in the middle distance, backdropped by the [[Gulf of Finland]].|100%|center}}