Helsinki (Helsingfors)

 

"The town of Helsinki was founded by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden (which Finland belonged to for many centuries) as a new trading post in southern Finland and a competitor to Tallinn in Estonia, the Hansa city on the opposite shore of the Gulf of Finland. The King then ordered the people of Rauma, Ulvila, Porvoo and Tammisaari to move to Helsinki.  The date on which this order was issued, 12.6.1550, is regarded as the date on which the city was founded. Growth was slow, for despite the King's order, the medieval trading traditions were slow to change. Due to the wars in Russia, the Baltic countries and Germany, Helsinki was nevertheless a strategic military centre, a point of embarkation for troops and a winter haven for the navy." Copied from Helsinki's homepage

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