Presidential palace (Helsinki)

 palace, presidential palace, Classicism, interesting place, listed building / architectural heritage, 19th century construction

The presidential palace is a location for president to conduct his/her official business. However he/she does not live here but rather in Mäntyniemi in western Helsinki area.
At the beginning of 19th century, a salt storehouse stood on the site. Johan Henrik Heidenstrauch, then one of the elite of Helsinki's merchants, purchased the entire lot and erected between 1816–1820 a stately residence designed by architect Pehr Granstedt. Heidenstrauch House more resembled a palace than a merchants house. In 1837 it actually became a palace when it was purchased for the price of 170 000 roubles to be converted into a residence for the Governor-General of Finland. However, Nicholas I desired that it should become the official residence in Helsinki of the Tsar of Russia/Grand Duke of Finland, and the building became the Imperial Palace in Helsinki.
The Palace was completed in 1845, though repairs had to be made from time to time as mostly it stood empty and was not regularly heated. It was visited for the first time by a member of the Imperial family as late as February 1854 when the Tsar's younger son, Grand Duke Konstantin, stayed there for a month. His brother Nicholas stayed there in June the following year. In 1856, the palace was also visited by the Tsar's three oldest sons – Nicholas, Alexander, and Vladimir. It was during the reign of their father, Alexander II, that the Palace had its most brilliant time. He visited the city in 1863 and 1876), staying on both occasions at the Palace. In 1863 the Diet of Finland was opened by Alexander II in the Great Ballroom. The Ballroom was accordingly converted into a Throne-Room, with the Imperial throne placed on a dais. Alexander returned to the palace again in 1876 to open that year's session of the Diet. The Throne-Room continued to be used as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Diet until 1906.

With his death in 1881 came the end for ever of imperial festivities in the Palace. Alexander III stayed there in 1885 (although he resided at his Finnish residence in Langinkoski more often). The palace was refurbished 1904–1907 by Johan Jakob (Jac) Ahrenberg. This included the building of a new suite of reception rooms, including a new Throne Room (the present Hall of State) where the sculpture Psyche and Zephyr by Walter Runeberg was placed, and a reception vestibule facing Mariankatu. The palace was last visited by a member of the Imperial family when Nicholas II visited the palace for one day in 1915.