Sketchbook Helsinki, August 26, 2010_2, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Senate square, Helsinki
I kept being interrupted by heavy downpours that almost washed away this drawing. I opened my umbrella and switched to water-proof markers.
Most of the buildings on the square were designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, all in the neoclassical style.
I love this square because it exemplifies the forces that shape a city. On its four side are:
1) The Church
2) The University
3) The Senate
4) A mixed bag of commerce: Shops, a bank, a café that also shows art movies (one of my favourites, but now closed for renovation). The mayor’s residence is squeezed a bit on the side, and there used to be a police station, but they got bumped.
– And The Czar in the middle of the square.
I’ll get some more sketches done later when the tourist buses leave…
Yes, it’s a huge ferryboat behind the building. It’s bigger than the buildings in the old town. They cross the Baltic between Helsinki and Stockholm daily.
Mille Croquis 