Parliament House, Helsinki

Parliament House
Parliament House
Eduskuntatalo; Riksdagshuset
General information
Type	Governmental
Architectural style	Nordic Classicism
Location	Etu-Töölö,Helsinki,Finland
Address	Mannerheimintie30
Coordinates	60°10′21″N024°56′00″E/ 60.17250°N 24.93333°E
Construction started	1926
Completed	7 March 1931
Owner	Finnish Government
Height	25m
Technical details
Floor count	6
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Johan Sigfrid Sirén
Main contractor	Finnish Government

TheParliament House(Finnish:Eduskuntatalo,Swedish:Riksdagshuset) is the seat of theParliament of Finland.It is located in theFinnishcapitalHelsinki,in the district ofEtu-Töölö.

History

In 1923 a competition was held to choose a site for a new parliament house. Arkadianmäki, a hill beside what is nowMannerheimintie,was chosen as the best site.

The architectural competition which was held in 1924 was won by the firm of Borg–Sirén–Åberg with a proposal called Oratoribus (Latinfor "for the speakers" ).^[1]Johan Sigfrid Sirén(1889–1961), who was mainly responsible for preparing the proposal, was given the task of designing Parliament House. The building was constructed 1926–1931 and was officially inaugurated on March 7, 1931.^[2]Ever since then, and especially during theWinter WarandContinuation War,it has been the scene of many key moments in the nation's political life.^[3]^[4]^[5]

On September 25, 2024, Finnish climate activists sprayed red paint on the pillars.^[6]

Architecture and features

Sirén designed Parliament House in astripped classicalarchitectural style combiningNeoclassicismwith early twentieth century modernism. Sirén's combination of simplified columns and balusters with simplified planar geometry bears comparison to similar explorations byErik Gunnar AsplundandJože Plečnik.The exterior is redKalvola granite.Thefaçadeis lined by fourteen columns withCorinthian capitals.^[1]

The building has five floors, each of which is unique. The floors are connected by a white marble staircase and famouspaternoster lifts.Most important for visitors are the main lobby, the statelydebate chamber(Session Hall) and the large reception hall (State Hall).

Notable later additions to the building are the library annex completed in 1978 and a separate office block,Finnish Parliament Annex(Finnish:Pikkuparlamentti), the necessity of which was an object of some controversy, completed in 2004.^[1]

Floors of the Parliament House

First floor

The first floor contains the main lobby, the Speaker's reception rooms, the newspaper room, the information service, the documents office, the messenger centre, the copying room, the restaurant, and some separate function rooms. At both ends of the lobby are marble staircases leading up to the fifth floor.^[1]

Second floor

The second floor, also known as the main floor, is centered on the plenary chamber. Its galleries have seats for the public, the press, and diplomats. Also located on this floor are the reception hall (the Hall of State), the Speaker's Corridor, the Government Corridor, the cafeteria, and adjacent function rooms.^[1]

Third floor

The third floor includes facilities for the information unit and the media, and provides direct access to the press gallery of the plenary chamber. The Minutes Office and a number of committee rooms are also located here.^[1]

Fourth floor

The fourth floor is reserved for committees. Its largest rooms are the Grand Committee room and the Finance Committee room.^[1]

Fifth floor

The fifth floor contains meeting rooms and offices for the parliamentary groups. Additional offices for the parliamentary groups are located on the sixth floor, along with additional facilities for the media.^[1]

Statues of the former presidents

Most of the statues of formerpresidents of the Republic of Finlandhave been placed in the vicinity of the Parliament House. On the lawn in front of the house are the statue ofKaarlo Juho Ståhlbergfrom 1959^[7]and the statue ofPehr Evind Svinhufvudfrom 1961,^[8]both carved byWäinö Aaltonen,the former on the north and the latter on the south. In the same block, in the Parliament Park immediately north of the Parliament House, there is a statue ofKyösti Kalliofrom 1962,^[9]carved by his sonKalervo Kallio.

Sightseeing

Public guided tours are arranged on Thursdays at 11am. Tours are free, but require an advance booking. One can also watch plenary visits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Thursdays at 4 p.m. and Fridays at 1 p.m. The Thursday plenary sessions open with Question Time. The plenary session on Friday normally lasts 30 minutes at most. There are no plenary sessions during the election break.

Gallery

Aerial view of the Parliament House
Statue ofP. E. SvinhufvudbyWäinö Aaltonen
Entrance lobby
Paternoster lift
(there is also a normal elevator)
White marble staircase
Curved staircase
State Hall
^{[note 1]}
Session Hall
(the statues areWork and the Future[fi]by Wäinö Aaltonen)
Cafeteria of the Pikkuparlamentti annex
Floor mosaics present in the elevator lobbies
State hall from different angle
Exterior wall
Floor plan of the second floor. In the middle is the State Hall, the Session Hall and the speakers' rooms, on the left is the cafeteria and one of the three meeting rooms specifically reserved for female MPs. On the right, the meeting rooms reserved for the use of the parliamentary councils. The four patios are located on both sides of the Parliamentary House's Session Hall.