Helsinki Cathedral
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Helsinki_Cathedral_in_July_2004.jpg
The Helsinki Cathedral (in Finnish Helsingin tuomiokirkko) is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral located in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. Until the independence of Finland in 1917, it was called St. Nicholas' church.
A distinct landmark in the scenery of central Helsinki, the church was built in 1830-1852, representing the neoclassical style. It was originally designed by Carl Engel, and later altered by his successor Ernst Lohrmann.
Today it is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Helsinki. Annually more than 350,000 people visit the church, some of them to attend religious events, but most are tourists.
On the roof of the cathedral there are zinc statues of the 12 Apostles. These are the biggest uniform collection of zinc sculptures in the world.
The cathedral is often used as a symbol of the whole city of Helsinki. In a similar way, the Turku castle often symbolises Turku, the Tammerkoski bridge symbolises Tampere and a large bridge called the Jätkänkynttilä ("Workman's candle") symbolises Rovaniemi.
Before the cathedral was built, a smaller church called the Church of Ulrika Eleanora stood in its place. A facsimile of this church, made entirely from snow, was later constructed on the Senate Square in the early 2000s.fi:Helsingin tuomiokirkko