- Ilmarinen by Robert Stigell , 1888
- Väinämöinen by Robert Stigell, 1888
- Väinämöinen's Play, Robert Wilhelm Ekman, 1866
- Kullervo Rides to War , mural by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1901
The Old Student House [1] (Finnish : Vanha ylioppilastalo, colloquially called Vanha, "the old one"; Swedish : Gamla studenthuset) is the former student house of the Student Union of the University of Helsinki, located in central Helsinki, Finland, near the crossing of Aleksanterinkatu and Mannerheimintie. [2]
The building was designed by Axel Hampus Dalström and was completed in 1870. It represents the neo-Renaissance style of architecture. [3]
The student house was originally built at the edge of the city centre, so the students' parties would not disturb other citizens. The construction was funded by a collection from the citizens. In dedication of this collection, the façade of the building bears the Latin inscription Spei suae patria dedit ("Fatherland gave to its hope"). Nowadays, the student house is located in the inner centre of Helsinki, near the Three Smiths Statue. [2]
Near the student house is located the New Student House, completed in 1910. At that point the Old Student House got its current name. In 1938 there was a discussion about whether the Old Student House should be dismantled to give place for a new business house. [3]
On November 25, 1968, one day prior to the Student Union's centennial celebration, a large group of students occupied the Old Student House which was designated as the location of the festivities. [3] There was a fire in 1978 that badly damaged the building. [3] [2]
Old Student House contains many famous Kalevala themed works of art, such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela's mural Kullervo Rides to War and Robert Wilhelm Ekman's 390 cm tall painting Väinämöinen's Play. [4] [5]
Three choirs and one symphony orchestra rehearse in the Music Hall of Old Student House:
The Kalevala is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory voyages between the peoples of the land of Kalevala called Väinölä and the land of Pohjola and their various protagonists and antagonists, as well as the construction and robbery of the epic mythical wealth-making machine Sampo.
Akseli Gallen-Kallela was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. His work is considered a very important aspect of the Finnish national identity. He finnicizated his name from Gallén to Gallen-Kallela in 1907.
Kullervo is an ill-fated character in the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled by Elias Lönnrot.
Ilmarinen, a blacksmith and inventor in the Kalevala, is a god and archetypal artificer from Finnish mythology. He is immortal and capable of creating practically anything, but is portrayed as being unlucky in love. He is described as working the known metals of the time, including brass, copper, iron, gold, and silver. The great works of Ilmarinen include the crafting of the dome of the sky and the forging of the Sampo. His usual epithet in the Kalevala is seppä or seppo ("smith"), which is the source of the given name Seppo.
Väinämöinen is a demigod, hero and the central character in Finnish folklore and the main character in the national epic Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot. Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, magical singing voice.
Lemminkäinen or Lemminki is a prominent figure in Finnish mythology. He is one of the heroes of the Kalevala, where his character is a composite of several separate heroes of oral poetry. He is usually depicted as young and good-looking, with wavy red hair.
Aino is a figure in the Finnish national epic Kalevala.
Kullervo, Op. 7, is a five-movement symphonic work for soprano, baritone, male choir, and orchestra written from 1891–1892 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Movements I, II, and IV are instrumental, whereas III and V feature sung text from Runos XXXV–VI of the Kalevala, Finland's national epic. The piece tells the story of the tragic hero Kullervo, with each movement depicting an episode from his ill-fated life: first, an introduction that establishes the psychology of the titular character; second, a haunting "lullaby with variations" that portrays his unhappy childhood; third, a dramatic dialogue between soloists and chorus in which the hero unknowingly seduces his long-lost sister; fourth, a lively scherzo in which Kullervo seeks redemption on the battlefield; and fifth, a funereal choral finale in which he returns to the spot of his incestuous crime and, guilt-ridden, takes his life by falling on his sword.
This is a summary of the cantos of the Kalevala.
Laajalahti is a district of Espoo, a city in Finland. It belongs to the area of Suur-Tapiola together with Westend, Tapiola, Pohjois-Tapiola, Otaniemi, Niittykumpu, Mankkaa, and Haukilahti. It gets its name from the bay on which it is located. Laajalahti belongs to three sectors; Laajaranta, Lupauksenvuori, and Ruukinranta.
Robert Wilhelm Ekman, a.k.a.R. W. Ekman, was a significant teacher and painter of the Finnish romantic portraits and early national romanticism.
Adolf von Becker was a Finnish genre painter and art professor of German descent. He was one of the first Finnish artists to study in Paris, who taught many of the young artists of the Golden Age of Finnish Art.
The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki, abbreviated AS, colloquially also known as Akademen, is a Finland-Swedish academic male-voice choir in Helsinki, Finland. The choir was founded in 1838 by Fredrik Pacius and is the oldest extant choir in Finland. It is one of two male-voice choirs affiliated with the University of Helsinki, the other being the oldest extant Finnish-language choir, the YL Male Voice Choir. Furthermore, it is one of two Swedish-language choirs affiliated with the University of Helsinki, the other being the Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran.
The Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran, also referred to as simply Lyran, is a Finland-Swedish academic female voice choir in Helsinki, Finland. It is the only women's choir affiliated with the University of Helsinki.
The takeover of Vanha was an uprising by a number of students on November 25, 1968, at the Old Student House of the University of Helsinki in Finland. It occurred on the night of the 100th birthday of the university's student union. The rioters took over Vanha during the celebrations, demanding changes to the university's administration and the curriculum.
Kullervo Sets Off for War is a painting by Akseli Gallen-Kallela from the year 1901. He painted the subject in tempera painting and as a fresco which is located in the music hall of Old Student House of Helsinki University.
The Kalevala House was a proposed monumental building in Helsinki, Finland, intended to serve as the headquarters of the Kalevala Society and a center of Finnish culture. The plans included a Finnish cultural research institute, exhibition spaces, artists' workspaces and "research chambers". Additionally, the crypt beneath the foot of the 80-meter-high main tower was to serve as a burial palce for notable Finnish figures and Fennomen. The building was to be located at the top of Munkkiniemi, near the present-day Hotel Kalastajatorppa.
Aino is a single-movement symphonic poem for male choir and orchestra written in 1885 by the Finnish conductor and composer Robert Kajanus. The piece tells the tragic story of the eponymous heroine from the Kalevala, although the Finnish-language text—Ring, Kantele, Ring! —sung by the male choir at the end of the symphonic poem is not from the literary epic but rather is by an anonymous author. Aino premiered on 28 February 1885 at a concert celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Kalevala.
Kullervo, Op. 15, is a symphonic poem for orchestra written in 1913 by Finnish composer Leevi Madetoja. The piece premiered on 14 October 1913 with Madetoja conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Society.
Symposium is an oil painting created by Akseli Gallen-Kallela in 1894.
Media related to Old Student House, Helsinki at Wikimedia Commons