On the eve of the Independence Day on Dec 5th the number of visitors to Temppeliaukio Church, located in central Helsinki, reached 900 000 for the first time ever during one single year, being a new record not only for the church itself but also for all the major indoor sights in Finland.

– The number of visitors during this autumn and winter has been on the rise and this gives a partial explanation to the record-breaking number of visitors we have had. There are still a few intense weeks left of this year, but the milestone with one million visitors to the church will not be reached within December, says Heli Suhtala Uvalic, Customer Service Manager at Temppeliaukio Church.

Those included in the final figure are people visiting the church during its normal opening hours, not those participating in church services or those attending a concert.

A living church and an attractive sight

There are people from all over the world visiting Temppeliaukio Church, one of the many churches belonging to Töölö Parish. In the summer of 2019 there were days with over 10,000 people visiting the church. In a global perspective, Temppeliaukio Church is first and foremost known for its unique architecture. On top of this, hundreds of concerts and other musical events take place in the church annually.

– Temppeliaukio Church attracts and fascinates people from near and afar. This is a fine achievement and we are very happy to be able to combine Temppeliaukio´s role as a living church with that of an attractive sight, says Hannu Ronimus, the Vicar of Töölö Parish.

Temppeliaukio Church, designed by the architect brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, is the most popular indoor sight in Finland and the third biggest sight in Helsinki after Linnanmäki amusement park and Suomenlinna historical fortress area. Temppeliaukio Church turned 50 years on Michaelmas in September 2019.

For more information:

• Hannu Ronimus

Vicar, Töölö Parish

tel. (09) 2340 4723

hannu.ronimus@evl.fi

• Heli Suhtala Uvalic

Customer Service Manager, Temppeliaukio Church

tel. (09) 2340 6326

heli.suhtalauvalic@evl.fi

• Niina Kellinsalmi

Web Communication Secretary, Töölö Parish

tel. (09) 2340 6317

niina.kellinsalmi@evl.fi