Are blood sacrifices being made in the University? Let’s hope not.
However, such things are referred to in the heart of the City Centre Campus, at the address of Yliopistokatu 1, as pointed out by Liisa Väisänen, an expert specializing in symbols. Built in 1846 for the Department of Chemistry and Anatomy, the building has graceful decorative columns on either side of its doorway.
The fluting of the columns transports Väisänen back to the altars of ancient temples. Not that blood grooves like these would hint towards slaughtering students or allude to the morgue of the anatomy department.
"The idea behind them has probably been about the sacrifices made in the name of science and research, and the time and resources taken up," Väisänen says.
On the other hand, there are rewards, too. The same building features nature-related imagery, such as grapevines and frogs.
"The grapevine alludes to the abundance and well-being that the University generates," Väisänen reasons.
Feeling rusty?
Interpreting the symbolism of all the buildings and artwork might not be as straightforward an exercise, however. Eduardo Chillida´s ironwork sculpture 'Helsinki' (1992) stands in front of the Porthania building. And it is here, in front of that sculpture, where Liisa Väisänen begins her guided tour for the University’s alumni.
Does the sculpture symbolize some poor student's brain on the morning of an exam, all tangled and rusted up? Not in the slightest. According to Väisänen, the actual idea behind the sculpture is the union of science and art.
"The histories of science and art are contiguous, for example, in anatomy, where the art of painting and the study of anatomy developed hand in hand."
To interpret the symbolism of Chillida's work is a tough ask without the help of an expert. But if you have some rudimentary knowledge of art history, it is easier to make sense of many of the other sights around the central campus.
"The buildings of the central campus represent architectural revivalism; they are a nod to the past. So their ornamental language can be viewed through that lens."
The wreath symbolizes victors and scholars
From Porthania, which represents 1950s modernism, we move on and arrive at another significant building of the University, the Main Building. The older side of the building was designed by Carl Ludvig Engel and completed in 1832. Here Väisänen recommends paying special attention to the wreath decorations above the second-storey windows.
"The Empire-style Main Building is inspired by ancient Greece, which is also the origin of the wreath symbol. In antiquity the wreath represented victors, but also scholars. As such, it is fitting for a university building," Väisänen explains.
Even the shape of the wreaths, which open upwards, is no coincidence. The wreath opens up to the future, as befits students.
Another kind of wreath can be seen a block away on Unioninkatu, on the wall of the Orthodox Holy Trinity Church (1826), also designed by Engel. There the wreaths form a full circle, similar to funerary wreaths. This symbolizes permanence and eternity.
The tar-covered façade
Beneath each decorative wreath on the Main Building's façade there is a bow. The bow, in turn, symbolizes commitment.
"The bow's symbolism harks back to a medieval tradition of unmarried women keeping their hair loose while married women tied theirs up."
According to Liisa Väisänen’s interpretation, the bows on the wreaths symbolize the commitment of the Tsar -the man ultimately behind the project- to the University and to its students.
In terms of style, the main building is quite plain when compared to the building on the opposite side of the Senate Square, the Government Palace, also designed by Engel. There the façade of the Government Palace is embellished with vines, plants and ornamentation.
The façade of the main building was formerly dominated by a monogram of Alexander I, "A I". It was placed on a wall decoration similar to the cloth that which was used in the attire of the Byzantine emperors. In this way, it emphasized the position of their ruler as emperor and heir to the Byzantine Empire. In the mid-1920s the monogram was removed after a nationalist student association disgraced it by covering it with tar.
An Egyptian figure reflects the time of construction
Close by the Main Building, on Unioninkatu street, is the National Library of Finland. The library was designed by Engel, but the most interesting symbolism can be found in its backyard.
The curved extension to the library, known as the Rotunda, was designed by Gustaf Nyström and completed in 1906. It is encircled by busts sculpted by Walter Runeberg that represent the different branches of science. Each branch is also represented by a small symbol; for example, history has an hourglass and astronomy has a star.
As for the busts, philosophy is represented by an Egyptian figure.
"This reflects the period of construction: Egyptology had only reached Finland at the turn of the 20th century. Engel would not yet have opted for such imagery," Väisänen says.
Depictions of sacrificial acts can be found at the library, too. Between the windows, below the branches of science, the ornamentation includes smoking sacrificial cauldrons. Various incenses were indeed among the earliest sacrificial offerings. These cauldrons sanctify the library and highlight its importance.
Medusas build up prestige
Väisänen draws attention to the upper part of the wall in the National Library, where a geometrically curving ornamental band, called a meander, runs.
“The name of the ornamental band comes from the Meander River, that’s located in the area of present-day Turkey. It represents the winding river’s delta, typically associated with fertile soil. On the library wall, the ornamental band represents the abundance of knowledge and books,” Väisänen says.
The meander can appear as a single line, like at the address of Fabianinkatu 24, next to the Porthania building. On the frieze, just below the roof of the National Library, it comes with a pair, like two rivers crisscrossing over and over. It is also possible to make out a swastika pattern from the double meander.
The building at Fabianinkatu 24 was originally constructed for the Department of Dentistry. It was designed by Armas Lindgren, with the faces of Medusas guarding it above the gates and near the ceiling.
The snake-haired figures are not meant to terrify, but rather build prestige, like gargoyles, the stony monsters adorning Gothic churches, for example.
Mercury protected merchants
The Language Centre, located at Fabianinkatu 26, was originally built for the Helsinki Business College. Designed by Kauno S. Kallio, this National Romantic style building features Mercury's staff entwined by two snakes on either side of the entrance.
Mercury was the ancient Roman god of merchants, which made the subject relevant for a business school. According to legend, Mercury used his staff to separate two fighting snakes from one another.
Mercury and his staff are not to be confused with Asclepius, the ancient god of medicine. His staff is featured in the Rotunda and the Sunn building in the Senate Square. Here, as an animal that sheds its skin, the snake symbolizes healing and reincarnation.
The circular shapes on the base of Mercury's staff and higher up on the façade resemble buckles from the Finnish national dress. "The effects of National Romanticism are very evident here," Väisänen notes.
The owl, the bat and the lion
At the end of Snellmaninkatu on Siltavuorenpenger stands what is architecturally one of the most impressive buildings on the University estate. The former physiological institute, designed by Gustaf Nyström, was finished in 1906, and takes inspiration from Dutch merchant houses.
The façade is watched over by an owl, a symbol of wisdom since antiquity. There's not only one decorative owl statue, but many ornamental, stylized owls and owl eyes. There's no doubt this building is one dedicated to knowledge. Even the ends of the gutters have been made to look like bats.
"The bat can navigate in the dark, which is why it has also been used as a symbol of knowledge," Väisänen informs us.
Animals also decorate the eaves on Mariankatu 11, which has long been in use by the University. Here the air vents have been decorated as lions. The lions symbolize the ruler's power, which fits the building's original intended use as the Swedish-speaking school.
Finland in the form of a Maiden
The imperial lion paws can also be seen on the National Library's fence supports.
"The lion refers not only to the ruler but also to Christianity and its victory over paganism, which is often represented by a bear," Väisänen explains.
Somewhat surprisingly, a pagan bearskin is draped on the Finnish Maiden in the centre of Senate Square. The most famous of the four sculptures on the pedestal of Alexander II's statue is Lex (‘Law’), which unites The Finnish Maiden, who is armed with a sword, and the lion which symbolizes imperial power.
"When the statue was completed in 1894, the concept of the Finnish Maiden was still a novel one. It is one of the first sculptures in which Finland was depicted specifically in the shape of a young woman," according to the expert.
Johannes Takanen’s work presents the emperor as the harbinger and protector of the law, but later it was also seen as a necessary reminder of the tsar's commitment to the laws of the Grand Duchy of Finland.
The spectroscope gives rise to new disciplines
Facing the Finnish Government Palace is another important sculpture: Lux (‘light’). With a garland on her head, the goddess representing science holds a spectroscope, a late-19th century instrument, used to research the light spectrum.
The spectroscope shook up analytical chemistry and gave rise to two new branches of science: physical chemistry and astrophysics. The sculptor Walter Runeberg clearly had his finger on the pulse, integrating a spectroscope into the 1894 sculpture. The globe also alludes to science.
In the piece, science and art stand side by side. The winged Apollo stands next to the goddess, lyre in hand. Apollo was the ancient god of arts and music.
The benefits of looking at buildings with new eye
The Arppeanum building, located at Snellmaninkatu 3, was completed in 1869 to be used for the University's chemical laboratories. Later on, it was used as a museum.
The style of the Arppeanum is post-Romantic, inspired by the Venetian palaces. Liisa Väisänen suggests looking at the lattice patterns on the top of the window frames: they are indented rather than protruding from the façade.
"This is typical of eastern ornamentation: taking away as opposed to adding something," Väisänen explains.
For instance, the difference is noticeable in old Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. There are two different ways to understand space, our art expert points out.
"One considers empty space to be a thing in and of itself, and not something that needs to be filled. Thus, the patterning directs our thoughts towards the Orient.”
The ornamentation on buildings, as well as the tops of columns, and decorative patterns can go unnoticed when we are in a hurry. We should slow down and observe buildings, even familiar ones, with new eyes.
"The purpose of my life's work is to make myself obsolete: for everyone to be able to read the symbolism in our surroundings and consider what it is trying to tell us."
The article was published in the Yliopisto magazine 5/2024 in Finnish. It was translated by translated by Mariela Ebeling, Lukas Kaskinen, Helmi Kauhajärvi, Jakim Kekki, Luna Koskimaa, Valo Kuisti, Seta Kukkavaara, Kalle Kurittu, Anne Lamminen, Matleena Nygård, Ella Oittinen, Ona Rönnman, Aisha Saeed, Venla Salonen, Janika Savolainen, Veera Setälä, Petra Sikanen and Heidi Sironen, English undergraduates in the Department of Languages. The work was supervised and revised by John Calton, lecturer in English.