Photos Helsinki City Museum
Narinkka Square’s past and present
Narinkka Square lies at the site of a 19th century training field of the Russian military and an independence-era bus terminal. The name Narinkka comes from a market once held at the edge of the square, at the site of the Scandic hotel on Simonkatu. Jewish and Russian merchants would sell second-hand clothing at this market. The name derives from the Russian words na rynke, “at the market”.
The only reminder of the military era of the square is a former barracks building, which today houses the Helsinki City Planning Department’s meeting space Laituri. On the completion of the Kamppi commercial centre in 2005, buses moved to an underground terminal. Last year saw the opening of the Kamppi Chapel of Silence at the square. The chapel, built from Finnish wood, attracts large numbers of visitors.
Translated by Johanna Lemola