TellTale Cities

Finland is known as a fiercely independent nation. It is hard to imagine that from 1809 to 1917, it was incorporated into the Russian empire, after being part of Sweden.​

​

In the 19th century, Helsinki became the capital city and a new centre of culture and power. It developed into a hub of industrialisation, urbanisation, social change and national awakening. Eventually, growing political unrest, russification and, finally, the Great War, brought and end to Russian domination. 

​

Find out how it all happened, and how the Russian period changed the face of the city, and of the nation.

​

This purely historical tour aims to shine a light on an important, yet often little-known aspect of Finnish history. You will get a better understanding of how Finland used this time to evolve as a nation; how the two cultures sometimes intertwined; and what traces are left of the time spent "under the tsars".