The Presidential Palace (, ) is one of the three official residences of the president of the Republic of Finland. It is situated in Helsinki, on the north side of Esplanadi, overlooking Market Square.

Origins and early history

In the early 19th century, a salt storehouse stood on the site where one of Helsinki's most prominent merchants, , would soon build his stately home. He purchased the entire lot and between 1816 and 1820 a stately residence designed by architect was built. Upon its completion, the Heidenstrauch residence was astonishingly grand, resembling a palace more than a merchant's home. With its two wings and a central section featuring a hall with a stately column-lined and framed beam ceiling, the house was a masterful work of proportion and design.

In 1837, the Heidenstrauch's residence was purchased for the price of 170 000 rubles to be converted into a residence for the Governor-General of Finland. However, Nicholas I desired that it should become the official residence in Helsinki of the Emperor of Russia, the Grand Duke of Finland, and so the building became the Imperial Palace in Helsinki.

The necessary rebuilding and furnishing work, carried out between 1843 and 1845, was directed by architect Carl Ludvig Engel, the creator of neoclassical Helsinki and, after his death, by his son, Carl Alexander. Giacomo Quarenghi also looked over the plans. All the timber storehouses behind were torn down and a new wing added. This wing, built along the north of the courtyard, contained on the second floor the chapel (the present library), ballroom, banquet hall in direct connection with the earlier reception floor of the main building, as well as a kitchen.

Imperial Palace

thumb|Swans swimming in front of the building

The palace was completed in 1845, though repairs had to be made from time to time as mostly it stood empty and was not regularly heated. It was visited for the first time by a member of the Imperial family nine years later, in February 1854, when Emperor Nicholas I's younger son, Grand Duke Constantine, stayed there for a month. His brother Nicholas stayed there in June of the following year, after Nicholas I's death. In 1856, the palace was also visited by the new Emperor's three oldest sons – Nicholas, Alexander, and Vladimir. It was during the reign of their father, Alexander II, that the palace had its most brilliant time. He visited the city in 1863 and 1876, staying on both occasions at the palace. In 1863 the Diet of Finland was opened by Alexander II in the Great Ballroom. The Ballroom was accordingly converted into a Throne-Room, with the Imperial throne placed on a dais. Alexander returned to the palace again in 1876 to open that year's session of the Diet. The Throne-Room continued to be used as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Diet until 1906.

Incidents

On 3 May 2024, a taxi crashed into a pillar located near one of the palace's guardhouses. The driver, who was believed to have suffered a medical seizure at the time of the incident, was hospitalised.

Visitors

[[File:President Ronald Reagan Nancy Reagan Mauno Henrik Koivisto and Mrs Koivisto Attend a Welcoming Ceremony at The Presidential Palace in Helsinki Finland - DPLA - 0032e30d1ccc77ae363ef6a9f3c2f6c0.jpg|thumb|180px|President

Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan with Finnish President Mauno Koivisto and Tellervo Koivisto (May 1988)]]

thumb|180px|President [[Tarja Halonen meeting Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2001, with Walter Runeberg's Law behind them]]

thumb|180px|[[Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, at the press center of the palace (16 July 2018)]]

In its role as the official residence of the president of Finland, the Presidential Palace has hosted a number of important foreign visitors and dignitaries. Royal visitors to the palace have included Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Olav V of Norway, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Juan Carlos I of Spain, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, and Emperor Akihito of Japan. A number of US Presidents have visited the palace, including Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. Other distinguished visitors have included Pope John Paul II, Josip Broz Tito, Nikita Khrushchev, Boris Yeltsin, Horst Köhler, Xi Jinping, Shinzō Abe, and Vladimir Putin. On 16 July 2018 a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was held at the Presidential Palace.

Visiting guests do not stay at the Presidential Palace nowadays, although they did in the past. Although the palace has nearly 3 000 square metres of floor space, and private apartments for the President and their family, much of the palace is occupied by offices and accommodation for the Office of the President, including the Secretary General, Presidential Cabinet, military Aides-de-Camp, and the household staff. Foreign guests can be housed at Mäntyniemi, the Königstedt Manor in Vantaa, or the Finnish State Guesthouse next to the Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa Hotel in Munkkiniemi.

See also

  • 2018 Russia–United States Summit

References

  • Official website of the President of the Republic of Finland