This Snaking Underground City Was Built During The Cold War – And Here’s What Really Goes On Inside
There is a strange secret hiding deep beneath the streets of Helsinki, Finland. Far below the surface, a network of tunnels stretches for hundreds of miles. They connect vast chambers and subterranean buildings in a labyrinth of gargantuan proportions. But what is this seemingly-sinister, sunken complex? And why was it built in the first place?
The mysterious tunnels beneath Helsinki
On a cold day, temperatures in Finland’s capital can drop below -4°F. But for those in the know, there is a way to escape the freezing weather. Just head deep underground, where you’ll find a sprawling complex of tunnels, rooms, and passageways that crisscross the bedrock beneath Helsinki.
Of course, it's not unusual for an urban area to have winding subway tunnels beneath the pavement. But what makes Helsinki's tunnels special is how many of them aren't meant for traveling — at least, not exclusively.
The city's master plan
First built during the Cold War, these underground chambers have become a part of daily life for many of Helsinki’s 650,000 inhabitants. But as they navigate the sunken streets, how many of them are aware of the dark truth behind the city’s master plan?
So many modern cities have been shaped by the fear of war, and Helsinki is no different. The cavernous bunkers serve a terrifying dual purpose.
The bunkers conceal live-saving features
According to the website My Helsinki, the underground tunnels — some of which open up into big, cavernous rooms — cover more than 100 million square feet. These rooms were actually designed to double up as doomsday bunkers, which should protect citizens in the event of war.
As it turns out, the plain walls and dank underground atmosphere of the bunkers conceal some unique features... features that could end up saving lives. The fact that people's safety is routinely at risk may sound like a surprise, especially in a city as beloved as Helsinki.
The happiest place on Earth
Today, Finland and its capital are regarded as among the happiest places on Earth. With clean air, good healthcare, and an excellent education system, the country regularly ranks at the top of global listings on the best places to live.
But looking back through the past, the region has experienced a surprising amount of turmoil as well. After all, Finland's reputation as the "happiest country in the world" wasn't earned overnight.
Its independence was hard-won
And Finland's independence was hard-won. For much of its history, for example, Finland was actually part of Sweden – the territory having been conquered during a series of 13th-century crusades. Over the years, much of the region’s native language and culture was suppressed.
In fact, even its modern capital was founded by a Swedish king! In 1550 King Gustav I Vasa established Helsinki in the hopes of turning it into a grand city.
A historic decision
At first, however, Sweden’s wealthy citizens were reluctant to relocate to the new settlement of Helsinki. But in 1710 a plague swept through the streets and decimated the population. Three years later, a fire claimed what was left. The once-promising city was literally in ruins, and the remaining citizens had a life-changing decision to make.
Do they start over somewhere else, or try to rebuild?
When the Russian army invaded
The Finns are known for their enduring spirits, so it's no surprise that they stuck it out and attempted to rebuild Helsinki. By 1748, Helsinki’s fortunes appeared to be on the up, as the construction of a naval fortress nearby brought prosperity and security to the region.
Sadly, it was not to last. Sixty years later the Russian army invaded Sweden and the city was once again razed to the ground.
Fighting for their homeland
Helsinki was destroyed beyond recognition not just once, but twice in its history. Considering Helsinki’s violent past, then, it is perhaps not surprising that a doomsday bunker holds some appeal. But the story, of course, does not end there. The Finns weren't about to let Russia take over their homeland — not without a fight.
But in 1809 the Russians emerged victorious from a conflict known as the Finnish War. They succeeded in annexing a vast swathe of Swedish territory.
Helsinki thrived
Under Russian control, Finland became its own autonomous region — and Helsinki finally began to thrive, albeit as part of the Russian Empire. Three years later the Russian tsar Alexander I made it the region’s capital city, a title that it has held ever since.
With the help of the renowned German architect Carl Ludwig Engel, it soon became a grand urban center to rival others across Europe. Of course, what made the city stand out was its hidden network of underground tunnels.
An aura of uncertainty
But when exactly did Helsinki’s planners begin extending the city underground? Well, plans for it were sewn during the early years of the Cold War. You see, it took another 100 years after the Finnish War for Finland to achieve its independence from Russia. And once again, its independence was hard-won.
Although Finland gained its independence from Russia in 1917, its physical proximity to the nation has ensured an ongoing climate of political uncertainty ever since.
Tensions between Finland and Russia
During World War II, the Soviets attempted to reclaim parts of Finland on two occasions. At this point, however, the Finns were strong enough to put up a proper fight, and the Soviets were repelled both times. However, their success came at a cost, and some territories on the border were lost.
Even when the conflict was over, the relationship between the two countries remained unstable for years. Then came the Cold War.
Finland at a crossroads
As the Cold War unfolded, Finland found itself standing at an uneasy crossroads between the two major global superpowers. The world geared up for nuclear combat, and the people of Helsinki must have been keenly aware of their precarious position.
After all, their country shared an 833-mile border with Russia, and a Soviet military base was located less than 20 miles from the capital up until 1956.
All the possibilities
So was it the threat of nuclear destruction that inspired the authorities in Helsinki to seek shelter underground? Keep in mind that the historic city had faced destruction more than once in the past; preparing for another potential disaster most likely felt like the prudent choice.
It certainly was in the 1960s when tensions between NATO and the Soviet Union were at their peak. They knew just how quickly lives could be destroyed above ground... so they began to wake up to the possibilities offered by the bedrock below.
A strategic decision
According to the travel website Atlas Obscura, workers first began excavating beneath Helsinki in order to install utilities such as sewers and power lines. You see, the city – like most of Finland – is built on granite bedrock that lends itself well to underground construction.
As a result, tunnels and chambers can be dug at relatively little expense. Installing utilities underground was not only practical from a financial standpoint but also from a strategic one.
Searching for hope underground
As the drama of the Cold War continued to play out uncomfortably close by, Helsinki’s planners soon realized that these tunnels could serve a dual purpose. After all, if someone were to push the button and plunge the world into nuclear war, the city’s population would need somewhere to take shelter.
And what's a better shelter than a massive complex built deep underground, far from flying bullets and potentially life-destroying bombs?
The terrifying Cold War
By the 1980s, the Cold War was nearing its end — although the border threat remained. Just because weapons weren't being fired didn't mean the fear of violence wasn't alive and well. So, Helsinki’s underground “master plan” began in earnest.
Over the following years, workers continued to excavate bedrock beneath the city. They gradually created a vast network of rooms and tunnels hidden beneath the streets.
Another challenge emerges
As the 20th century passed into the 21st, urban planning became a hot topic across the globe. In some parts of the world, the threat of war was overcome by a different challenge altogether: overpopulation. Populations everywhere were booming, it seemed, and architects were scrambling to come up with new ways to develop existing cities.
In Helsinki, that meant expanding downwards – utilizing a vast space that might otherwise have gone overlooked.
From public safety to commerce
Soon, an entire sunken city started to take shape beneath Finland’s capital. But these subterranean chambers were not just designed to provide a safe escape for Finland's citizens in the event of an attack. The growing population meant that the city needed extra retail and recreational venues for the residents of Helsinki.
And as this underground city continued to grow, its vast network of tunnels and bunkers became as much about commerce as public safety.
An underground lifeline
Just because Helsinki's underground city is now filled with recreational spots and shopping opportunities doesn't mean it isn't still used to keep citizens safe. The underground complex has become something of a lifeline to many citizens, according to Atlas Obscura.
After all, when winter hits, freezing temperatures and minimal daylight hours can keep all but the most hardy off the streets. In these conditions, who wouldn’t want to escape to a warm sanctuary tucked away underground, especially one that offers places to eat and rest?
What's down those stairs?
These days, Helsinki’s residents use the network to avoid the biting cold above, remaining sheltered as they dash along tunnels deep underground. But what exists to keep them entertained in a place that doubles up as a doomsday shelter? Well, as it turns out, there’s more than you might think!
From the surface, many of the entrances to this subterranean network do not look like much.
Descending into another city
In fact, for the uninitiated, it might be difficult to tell that most entrances lead anywhere at all! Venture down the many staircases that crisscross the city, though, and you will find yourself in a dizzying labyrinth that stretches out in all directions.
Many of the tunnels appear to be just that: drab passageways carved out of concrete and rock. But where these tunnels lead is often a sight to behold.
Temppeliaukio Church
Over the years, workers have created an unbelievable array of subterranean buildings beneath Helsinki. Perhaps the most impressive is Temppeliaukio Church, which is set in a vast chamber carved from solid rock. First constructed back in the 1960s, it is one of the oldest — and most beautiful — parts of the city’s underground network.
In fact, if the walls weren't made up of organic rock and if the acoustics weren't as impressive, then it would be tough to tell that you're even underground.
An architectural marvel
Today, the church is considered an architectural marvel and is one of Finland’s most popular attractions for lovers of interesting buildings. And every year some 850,000 people visit the church in order to marvel at the unique structure, according to Atlas Obscura.
Lucky visitors might even catch a concert inside the cavernous space, which, given its distinctive shape, is renowned for its excellent acoustics.
Amos Rex art museum
However, it isn’t just religious worship that can be conducted in Helsinki’s sunken city. There are also venues that promote cultural pursuits, such as the critically lauded Amos Rex art museum. If Temppeliaukio represents the city’s early attempts at subterranean architecture, then this exhibition hall showcases a much more modern style.
This innovative structure opened in 2018 and came about as a result of an above-ground problem.
Modernizing the "glass palace"
Atlas Obscura notes that the existing space was protected, making traditional expansion off-limits. This protection was enacted back in the '30s in hopes of preserving the "glass palace," or the modernist architecture. It also contained a museum that celebrated Finland's Swedish culture.
And so, architects decided to build downwards instead. The result was an incredible 23,500-square-foot space that is now one of the city’s popular art museums.
A subterranean hockey game
Elsewhere, the underground complex boasts a surprising array of sporting facilities. Unlike the church and art museum, these areas don't usually hide the fact that they are located underground. But does it matter when you can indulge in anything from a game of hockey to a few loops on a go-kart track, all without venturing above the surface?
Yet some of these spaces have a dual purpose that is far more sinister than simply keeping fit. It all goes back to the reason these underground bunkers were created in the first place.
From swimming pools to bunkers
Take the Itäkeskus Swimming Hall, for example, which is a complex of pools and saunas located more than 160 feet beneath the city. On any normal day, this remarkable space is filled with people swimming lengths and sweating out the stresses of everyday life from far beneath the Earth's surface.
But if the warning of a nuclear attack were to sound, these recreational centers would soon be converted into something very different, indeed. Their original purposes would suddenly come back in use.
Preparing for the worst
According to reports, Itäkeskus Swimming Hall is equipped to function as an emergency shelter for as many as 3,800 people. And it’s not the only space that’s secretly prepared to deal with disaster. Other facilities, such as an underground running track, can also be transformed to accommodate citizens in the event of war.
After all, if violence were to ensue in the form of bombings, wouldn't you rather be underground?
A back-up city
This possibility isn't something Finns take lightly. According to ABC News, the complex beneath the city is capable of housing as many as 750,000 people — well over the total population of Helsinki. Anyone seeking refuge would not be able to settle in straight away.
Apparently, experts predict that it would take three days to transform the facilities into functioning shelters.
A much different kind of life
Obviously, life underground would have to function much differently than life above the ground. Once hunkered down, citizens hiding out in the bunker would benefit from water and air filtration systems, ensuring the essentials needed for survival. Meanwhile, facilities such as toilets and sleeping cots would provide a basic level of comfort.
But how long could the population of Helsinki be sustained in such a way? As humans, we're not used to dwelling beneath the Earth — at least, not for extended periods of time.
Safety wouldn't last forever
The answer, it seems, is that people wouldn't thrive for long — if they were to thrive at all. Jani Pitkänen, the director of the city’s rescue department, told ABC News in 2018, “With the water reservoirs and the food and everything, it would be one week to two weeks — not forever.”
Still, Helsinki’s ability to house its citizens underground for multiple days is an impressive feat, one that could end up saving thousands of lives.
A generational threat
Thankfully, the designers of this underground system have never had to see it put to use. Although they were built amid the threat of the Cold War, the passage of time hasn't rendered the shelters completely obsolete. As global politics remain a tense and often turbulent realm, Helsinki’s position between the East and West continues to be a precarious one.
In an article for The Daily Beast, Laura Studarus likened Finland's geopolitical situation to a "slow burn" — a threat of war that has permeated the lives of generations of Finns.
Just in case...
Once the Finns realized that building an underground city was possible, they never really slowed down. In fact, the city’s master plan has gained traction in recent years. All new homes in the city nowadays are required to include a private underground shelter, while any renovation work must also incorporate a similar structure.
This way, if the worst does happen, then the people of Helsinki will be better prepared than most. For now, though, the appeal of the tunnels seems to be more about convenience than necessity.
Who needs fresh air?
Speaking to Atlas Obscura, Helsinki’s chief underground planner Eija Kivilaakso explained, “If it’s raining, you can drive into the city center to an underground car park and go straight into department stores from elevators. You can dress for comfort instead of in cold-weather clothes. If the weather is not comfortable, people choose the underground.”
In Helsinki, it’s even possible to navigate most of the city without venturing above street level.
No one would ever know
Although the rumors of an interconnected underground tunnel system are false, you can technically travel solely underground. As well as a comprehensive metro system, the underground complex also incorporates the biggest underground bus station in the world.
Although the underground city welcomes some 170,000 people every day, according to The Culture Trip, there is barely any sign of activity on the surface overhead.
There are some abandoned tunnels
Of course, not all of Helsinki’s tunnels are bustling hives of activity. According to reports, there are a number of ghost stations scattered along the metro line. Built to serve various planned extensions, they were left abandoned when the city’s underground network developed in a different direction.
Some of them, it seems, were converted for various purposes, while others remain empty and eerie shells — an urban explorer's dream.
They plan to keep digging
Although the roots of Helsinki’s underground labyrinth date back to the Cold War, it has adapted to serve a very modern purpose. And the capital is not the only place in Finland where developers are looking downwards.
According to a 2014 paper published on the academic website ScienceDirect, the cities of Oulu and Tampere are currently undergoing a similar transformation. An ambitious project is also being floated that seeks to connect Helsinki’s tunnels with those below its twin city of Tallinn.
An undersea tunnel
At 30 miles long, the proposed construction would stretch underneath the Gulf of Finland to Estonia, allowing trains to travel quickly between the two metropolises. The colossal undertaking is still being considered at the time of writing, although some believe that it could become a reality by the 2030s.
The extremely ambitious project wouldn't only involve tunneling underground, but underwater. Yes, the proposed passageway would technically be an undersea tunnel that would cost billions of euros.
A different kind of escape
As Helsinki’s underground grows more and more futuristic, old geopolitical conflicts continue to simmer beneath the surface. But thoughts of emergency bunkers are far from the minds of most people using the system on a daily basis.
Instead, the underground city functions as a different kind of escape: from the cold, from harsh commutes, and from the monotony of daily life. Usually, the sign of a successful, growing city is towering skyscrapers and bustling industry, but in Helsinki, the city's success can be found deep beneath the surface.