University of Helsinki
The
University of Helsinki (
Helsingin yliopisto in
Finnish,
Helsingfors universitet in
Swedish) is a
university located in
Helsinki,
Finland. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available. Around 38,000 students (including 5,500 post-graduate students) are currently enrolled in the degree programs of the university.
The university is a member of the
League of European Research Universities and the
Europaeum and places heavy emphasis on high-quality research.
For the early history (1640-1809), see the main article Royal Academy of TurkuThe university was founded in
1640 by Count
Per Brahe in
Turku (Åbo), as the
Royal Academy of Turku (Åbo Kungliga Akademi). It was the third
university founded in the
Swedish Empire, following
Uppsala University and the
Academia Gustaviana in
Dorpat, the predecessor of the
University of Tartu in
Estonia.
In 1809, Finland became an autonomous
grand duchy in subjugation to
imperial Russia, wherefore the name of the academy in Turku was modified to be
Imperial Academy of Turku. Following the great city
fire of Turku in
1827 and the move of the capital of the
Grand Duchy of Finland, under Russian rule since
1809, to Helsinki, the university was relocated there starting from 1829 and Nicholas I re-named it
Imperial Alexander University of Finland in honor of his late brother and predecessor Czar
Alexander I of Russia, who had given new resources to the academy. This university was the practical center of Finnish culture in 19th century, and a remarkable cradle of nationalist movements, liberalization demands, political parties, collections of cultural materials, and student activities. It was named the
University of Helsinki after Finland became independent in
1917.
The main building of the university, which was designed by
Carl Ludvig Engel, was completed in 1832. It is located next to the
Senate Square in the heart of Helsinki's
neoclassical centre, facing the Cathedral and the Government's Palace. Most of the important buildings in the City Centre Campus, such as the University Library, the Observatory and several faculty builings, are also designed by Engel.
 |
The university main building |
The university is located on four main
campuses. Originally, the entire university was located in the very centre of Helsinki, but due to the rapid growth of university since the 1930s, premises have been built and acquired in other areas.
The historical
City Centre Campus has been the hub of activity ever since the university moved from Turku to Helsinki in the early 19th Century. The campus has a central location and reflects the architectural style of this part of the city. The university buildings in the city center house the Faculties of Theology, Law, Arts, Behavioural Sciences and Social Sciences plus administrative functions. Most of the buildings on the campus have a major architectural significance.
The
Kumpula Campus, housing the Faculty of Science, is located four kilometers from the centre of Helsinki.
The
Meilahti Campus, with the Faculty of Medicine, is a part of the
Meilahti Hospital District on the outskirts of the city centre.
The
Viikki Campus is located in a semi-rural area of
Viikki, some 8 kilometres north-east of the city centre. It houses the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Biosciences, Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy.
The university is divided into eleven faculties. They are listed below in the official order used by the university, reflecting both the history of the university and the hierarchy of disciplines at the time when the university was established:
*
Faculty of Theology (established
1640)
*
Faculty of Law (established
1640)
*
Faculty of Medicine (established
1640)
*
Faculty of Arts (Faculty of Philosophy established
1640 and split
1852, independent Arts section
1863, independent faculty
1992)
*
Faculty of Science (Faculty of Philosophy established
1640 and split
1852, independent Science section
1863, independent faculty
1992)
*
Faculty of Pharmacy (independent faculty
2004)
*
Faculty of Biosciences (independent faculty
2004)
*
Faculty of Behavioral Sciences (independent section
1974, independent faculty
1992, reorganized and renamed
2004)
*
Faculty of Social Sciences (established
1945)
*
Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry (established
1898, independent faculty
1924)
*
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (established as an independent college in
1945, incorporated into U of Helsinki in
1995)
It also comprises several independent institutes, such as research centres and libraries.
Research institutes within the university include the following:
*
Aleksanteri Institute - A national centre of research, study and expertise pertaining to
Russia and
East Europe*
Helsinki Center of Economic Research (HECER) - A joint initiative of the University of Helsinki, the
Helsinki School of Economics and the
Swedish School of Economics*
Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT) - A joint research institute of the University of Helsinki and the
Helsinki University of Technology*
Helsinki Institute of Physics*
Environmental Change Research Unit*
Institute of Biotechnology*
Neuroscience Center*
Rolf Nevanlinna Institute - Research institute of
mathematics,
computer science, and
statistics*
Elias Lönnrot (1802–1884), collector of
Kalevala*
Zacharias Topelius (1818–1898), writer and historian
*
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (1832–1901), geologist, arctic explorer
*
Hugo Gyldén (1841–1896), astronomer
*
Anders Donner (1854–1938), astronomer
*
Karl Fritiof Sundman (1873–1949), astronomer
*
Mika Waltari (1908–1979), novelist
*
Esa Saarinen (b. 1953), philosopher
*
Tarja Halonen, lawyer (
LL.M.),
President of Finland since 2000.
*
Linus Torvalds, (b. 1969), software engineer and developer of
Linux*
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), composer, pursued studies at Faculty of Law
*
Ernst Lindelöf (1870–1946), mathematician
*
Rolf Nevanlinna (1895–1980), mathematician
*
Lars Ahlfors (1907–1996), mathematician, one of two first to be awarded the
Fields Medal in 1936
*
Björn Kurtén (1924–1988), palaeontologist
*
Artturi Ilmari Virtanen (1895–1973), Nobel Laureate (
Chemistry, 1945)
*
Jorma Ollila (b. 1950), Chairman of
Nokia and
Royal Dutch Shell (M.Pol.Sci.)
*
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO of Nokia as of June 2006 (LL.M.)
*
History of Finland*
History of Sweden*
University of Helsinki - Official site
*
Presentation of premises - Images of almost all university buildings and their lecture rooms
