Temppeliaukio Rock Church

Helsinki's Rock Church is located along Fredrikinkatu, north of the Hietaniemi neighborhood. The church's underground interior, created by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen in the late 1960s, was physically carved out of and erected into the old solid rock of the Helsinki peninsula. The glass dome allows beautiful natural light to flood the inside of the cathedral. It includes a 13-meter-high shallow round copper sheeting and glass dome supported by concrete ribs. The church's outstanding acoustics, produced by the interior's rough, unfinished rock surfaces, allow it to double as a performance venue. There are guided tours offered, and if you go in the summer, be sure to stop by the on-site café for a distinctive dining experience.

Plans for the Temppeliaukio/Tempelplatsen (Temple Square) date back to the 1930s, when a building site was chosen and a design competition was organized. When World War II broke out in 1939, J. S. Siren's intention to build the church's architecture was halted in its early stages. Siren had won the second competition. Timo Suomalainen and Tuomo Suomalainen ultimately won a second architectural competition held after the war in 1961. The recommended concept was modified for financial concerns, and as a result, the interior size of the church was cut in half. The rock temple was finally completed in time for consecration in September 1969, after construction finally started in February 1968.

Address: Lutherinkatu 3, 00100 Helsinki

Official site: https://temppeliaukionkirkko.fi/en/index.html

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