| Esplanadi | |
|---|---|
| Esplanaden | |
 The central walking path of Esplanadi, 2012 | |
.svg)  Location of Esplanadi inHelsinki | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Helsinki, Finland |
| Coordinates | 60°10′03″N24°56′52″E / 60.16750°N 24.94778°E /60.16750; 24.94778 |
| Established | 1818 |
| Designer | Carl Ludwig Engel |
Esplanadi (Swedish:Esplanaden), colloquially known asEspa, is anesplanade andurban park in downtownHelsinki, Finland, situated between theErottaja square and theMarket Square. It is bordered on its northern and southern sides by the Pohjoisesplanadi (Norra Esplanaden, North Esplanadi) and Eteläesplanadi (Södra Esplanaden, South Esplanadi) streets, respectively.Aleksanterinkatu runs parallel to Esplanadi. Esplanadi is well known as a popular walking area,[1][2] andstreet performances are also often held in the park.[3]
Designed by the architectCarl Ludwig Engel, the park was originally opened in 1818.[4] In 1827,Engels Teater (the predecessor of theSwedish Theatre), the first theatre building in Helsinki, also designed by Engel, was erected in a corner of the park. Centered in the park is astatue of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland, by his sonWalter Runeberg.[5] Other public art pieces include works byViktor Jansson,Gunnar Finne andLauri Leppänen.
The eastern end of the park houses the Kappeli restaurant, which opened in 1867. In front of the restaurant is an outdoor stage, which hosts numerous live music performances. Other prestigious restaurants on the edge of the park includeRestaurant Olo on Pohjoisesplanadi[6] andSavoy Restaurant on Eteläesplanadi.[7]
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Helsinki Cityscape | |||||
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