Sibelius Monument, Helsinki , Finland

The Sibelius monument was designed by Eila Hiltunen and completed in 1967. It consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. The purpose of the artist was to capture the essence of the music of Sibelius. The monument weighs 24 tonnes. It’s probably the most well-known abstract sculpture in Finland and popular tourist attraction.

lunadia said 22 days ago

The sculpture reminds me of, aside from the obvious organ pipes, massive icicles in a cold land, the passion and grandeur of the opening notes of the Finlandia Hymn, the steel of her inhabitants coming together for one purpose, and by the way, my favorite hymn because it was the only one I could play well on my harmonica (or mouth ORGAN. ?)

User Reviews

Vishal Kumar Singh (3 years ago)
Sibelius, said to be a musician of the same name as Beethoven, designed the monument to the organ with great interest. Finland is a land of imagination!

Carlos Moreno (3 years ago)
Weird but awesome Monument close to Helsinki heart. Park is full of nature and beautiful landscape. Must see it

e (3 years ago)
Worth planning a visit to this public park which is centred around this famous monument. It's easily accessible albeit sometimes crowded, however depending on the day, you might be able to see it with less people around. Definitely a photogenic landmark as well

Sandra Garrido (3 years ago)
The Sibelius monument is at a Public garden. It’s a nice place that you can go quickly or stay to relax. Sometimes is crowded.... you just have to wait until everybody goes so that you can see it calmly..!

TK Crowe (3 years ago)
Definitely worth checking out. The park and area near by are very nice. There were vendors selling orange juice and ice cream close by, which was refreshing given the heat. It was very crowded the time I went, in summer, but I waited for a while and was able to get the place mostly to myself. Worth seeing if you make it to Helsinki.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright levaletfrancois

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Château de Falaise is best known as a castle, where William the Conqueror, the son of Duke Robert of Normandy, was born in about 1028. William went on to conquer England and become king and possession of the castle descended through his heirs until the 13th century when it was captured by King Philip II of France. Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840 it has been protected as a monument historique.

The castle (12th–13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the Dukes of Normandy. The construction was started on the site of an earlier castle in 1123 by Henry I of England, with the 'large keep' (grand donjon). Later was added the 'small keep' (petit donjon). The tower built in the first quarter of the 12th century contained a hall, chapel, and a room for the lord, but no small rooms for a complicated household arrangement; in this way, it was similar to towers at Corfe, Norwich, and Portchester, all in England. In 1202 Arthur I, Duke of Brittany was King John of England's nephew, was imprisoned in Falaise castle's keep. According to contemporaneous chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, John ordered two of his servants to mutilate the duke. Hugh de Burgh was in charge of guarding Arthur and refused to let him be mutilated, but to demoralise Arthur's supporters was to announce his death. The circumstances of Arthur's death are unclear, though he probably died in 1203.

In about 1207, after having conquered Normandy, Philip II Augustus ordered the building of a new cylindrical keep. It was later named the Talbot Tower (Tour Talbot) after the English commander responsible for its repair during the Hundred Years' War. It is a tall round tower, similar design to the towers built at Gisors and the medieval Louvre.Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840, Château de Falaise has been recognised as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

A programme of restoration was carried out between 1870 and 1874. The castle suffered due to bombardment during the Second World War in the battle for the Falaise pocket in 1944, but the three keeps were unscathed.

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