Hotel Torni () is a historical

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

located in Kamppi,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, and a part of the Sokos Hotels hotel chain. When opened in 1931, it became the tallest building in Finland, a position it maintained until the completion of the new Neste headquarters in neighboring

Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...

in 1976. It remained the tallest building in Helsinki until it was overtaken by Itäkeskuksen maamerkki in 1987. The interior of the building was completely renovated in 2005. It is located in central Helsinki, in the so-called Helsinki Design District.

History

The hotel was designed by architects Jung & Jung in 1928, and has 14 stories. It is allegedly the place where the murder of the

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

-like Minna Craucher was planned in 1932. The hotel served the needs of air defense during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, when members of the Finnish women's paramilitary organization

Lotta Svärd Lotta Svärd () was a Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women. Formed originally in 1918, it had a large membership undertaking volunteer social work in the 1920s and 1930s. It was formed to support the White Guard. Du ...

used it as a watchtower to spot Soviet bombers. Immediately after the cessation of the war, Hotelli Torni served as the headquarters of the Allied Control Commission monitoring Finnish compliance with the obligations of the

Moscow Armistice The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of mo ...

. It became known as a center of culinary excellence.

Restaurants

In Hotel Torni, there are several restaurants including ''Ravintola Torni'' (dining), ''Ateljee Bar'' (top of the tower with view over downtown Helsinki, known especially for the toilets which have scenic glass walls to the outside), ''American Bar'' (American style bar), and ''O'Malley's'' (Irish bar). The Ateljee Bar provides a monthly changing art exhibition featuring Finnish artists.

External links

Sokos Hotel Torni: history

A video starring Hotel Torni

Helsinki Design District

{{Helsinki Cityscape Torni Torni Hotel buildings completed in 1931 Skyscrapers in Finland Skyscraper hotels

History

Restaurants

See also

External links