The unusual sight of Helsinki - The church in the rock: a description of how to get there

Temple Temppeliaukio is perhaps the most extravagant sight in Helsinki. The church in the rock in the middle of the city - is it not surprising? Tourists visit religious buildings because of their antiquity or architectural merits. And if somehow it did not work out from the first at Temppeliaukio (the temple was built in the sixty-ninth year of the last century), then everything is normal with the second church.

It is interesting already how the architects connected the primeval landscape and the latest technologies. The rough rock, which forms the walls of the temple, topped with a glass dome, creates an inexpressible sensation. This church, because of its underground location, is devoid of bells. But the bell still rings. Every year about half a million tourists visit the amazing church. And this is not counting those who come to organ and chamber concerts! We will also make a virtual excursion to this original church.

The Prehistory of the Church in the Rock

This temple was built quite quickly - just a year with a little. But its erection was preceded by a long history. As early as the beginning of the twentieth century, residents of the metropolitan district of Töölö decided to build a parish church. The place was chosen on the hill of Tunturullakso. Funds were collected, and in the thirty-second year, as is usual in civilized countries, an open tender for the best architectural design was announced.

None of the 57 projects satisfied the commission of the parish council. In 1936 they were forced to announce a new competition. This time the winner was selected from twenty-three participants. It turned out to be Sirena Sirena. His project was an ordinary Lutheran temple, many of which are in Helsinki. The church in the rock was the creation of another era. Work began in the thirty-ninth year, but because of the outbreak of the Second World War, construction was stopped.

Creation of Temppeliaukio (Church in the Rock)

In the early sixties, residents of the Töölö district decided to do it all the same. But the old Siren project seemed to them too ordinary, and expensive. The Parish Council announced a new contest. 67 architectural projects were presented. Won the brothers Tuomo and Timo Suomalainen. They proposed a very interesting concept of a building that had never been in Helsinki - "The Church in the Rock".

Tempeliaukio suffered the same fate as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. A huge number of local residents spoke out against the "ugly design." It was called a "mosque in the rock" for a characteristic dome and even an "anti-devil bunker" for the location beneath the earth. In addition, the architects were reproached that their project was too expensive. The last accusation was clearly "sucked from the finger". The architects won the competition, offering one of the cheapest solutions - not to erect the walls of the temple, but to pierce the deepening on top of the hill with a dynamite and cover it with a dome. Thus, the estimate of the church was even less than the amount allocated for the construction of a regular school.

Description of sight

The temple is located in a small area of Tempelplats, in the middle of the usual residential building of Helsinki. The church in the rock outside looks like a flying alien plate, which landed and got bogged down in the ground. The temple was cut in natural granite in the form of a circle, at a depth of ten meters. The stone in the walls for the most part remained untreated.

Severe granite contrasts with a light dome made of glass and spiral copper plates. This creates the illusion of a very high ceiling, although in fact the distance between the floor and the highest point is only 12 meters. The copper disk on the ceiling is supported by metal plates and glass, forming 180 longitudinal windows. Therefore, the interior of the temple during the day does not need lighting. On the upper tier of the church is a copper balcony. From it is interesting to look around the interior of the temple, which resembles the Irish burial in Newgrange.

Church in the Rock (Helsinki): how to get

Because the word "Temppeliaukio" foreigner so simply does not pronounce, this attraction is often called the Rock Church. It is not so far from the center. If you leave the train station, then walk on foot with a quarter of an hour. You can also take a tram no. 2. You should get off at the stop of Sammonkatu. Church in the Rock (Helsinki), whose address is at. Lutherinkatu, 3, is located right in the courtyard of the housing estate. Immediately it is difficult to recognize - after all, outside it resembles a simple mound of stones.

Church in the Rock (Helsinki): mode of operation

The entrance to the temple is absolutely free. It is open daily from ten in the morning (on Sundays - from 11:45). The church is closing at different times relative to the days of the week. But often in the evenings, organ, classical and electronic music concerts are held in the temple - after all, the acoustics in this underground room with untreated granite walls are simply stunning. Near the entrance there is a shelving with free booklets in various languages that tell about the history of the church. It is also interesting to visit the Lutheran divine service. And in the evening the temple is beautifully illuminated.