Capital of Finland moved from Turku to Helsinki (1812–1819)

On 8 April 1812 Emperor Alexander I of Russia moved the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Turku to Helsinki, reducing Swedish influence and bringing the capital closer to St Petersburg. The transfer followed Finland's annexation as an autonomous grand duchy after the Finnish War, and Helsinki grew strongly thereafter.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Finland was ceded to Russia following the Finnish War of 1808–1809, and after Sweden's defeat and the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on 17 September 1809 it became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. Helsinki, then a small coastal town, only began to develop into a substantial city after this annexation.

The Transfer of the Capital. Emperor Alexander I of Russia moved the capital of Finland from Turku to Helsinki on 8 April 1812. The stated aims were to reduce Swedish influence in Finland and to bring the capital closer to St Petersburg. Helsinki thereafter replaced Turku as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland.

Aftermath. Helsinki experienced strong growth from the 1810s onward as the grand duchy's capital. In 1819 the Senate of Finland moved from Turku to Helsinki, after which official Finnish government documents and Finnish-language newspapers used the name Helsinki. The former capital's role ended definitively after the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, when the Royal Academy of Turku also moved to Helsinki.

People involved

Sources

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