全通翻譯/翻譯社

Helsinki: Where East Meets West

The most northerly capital of the EU countries, Helsinki is a gateway to both the east and west of Europe. Finland's main city was founded by a Swedish king in 1550 but came under Russian rule at the beginning of the 19th century, finally gaining independence in 1917 as a result of the Russian Revolution.

Finns are often mistakenly labeled as Scandinavian. In fact, Finnish language and culture are very distinct. If you're thinking of learning some Finnish, bear in mind that it is considered one of the toughest languages to master. Don't worry too much, though. With increased immigration in recent times, an estimated 11.5 percent of Helsinki's population speaks another language as their mother tongue. This has meant that English has become a lingua franca for New Finns, as they are known. Many Finns also speak Swedish, and around　6 percent of Helsinki's population are native Swedish speakers.

Architecture in central Helsinki was largely the work of one man, the German Carl Ludvig Engel. The Government Palace and Helsinki Cathedral, which look out over Senate Square, are the most famous examples of his Neoclassical buildings. Homegrown architects played a role in other styles that can be found in Helsinki. These include Art Nouveau and the work of Alvar Aalto, which perhaps best represents the Finnish liking for function.

赫爾辛基：東西交融的北歐多元之都

身為歐盟國最北端首都的赫爾辛基是通往東歐與西歐的門戶。這座芬蘭的主要城市是由一位瑞典國王於一五五○年所創建，但在十九世紀初受俄國統治，最後才在一九一七年因俄國革命而獲得獨立。

芬蘭人常被誤以為是斯堪地納維亞人。事實上，芬蘭的語言和文化相當獨特。如果你想學芬蘭語，要記住這可是最難精通的語言之一。不過也不必太擔心。隨著近代越來越多的外來移民，據估赫爾辛基有 11.5% 的人口以別種語言為母語。這表示英語已成了所謂「新芬蘭人」的通用語言。許多芬蘭人也會說瑞典語，且赫爾辛基有 6% 左右的人口以瑞典語為母語。

赫爾辛基市中心的建築大多是德國人卡爾．路德維格．恩格爾一個人的作品。眺望議會廣場的政府大廈與赫爾辛基大教堂是他設計的新古典主義建築當中最著名的案例。芬蘭本國的建築師則在赫爾辛基其他風格的建築當中具相當程度的重要性。這包括新藝術風格的建築與阿瓦．奧圖的作品，後者也許最能代表芬蘭人對於功能性的喜好。

資料來源：biz互動英語報