FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

The History of Helsinki Trivia Quiz

Helsinki is one of the youngest cities in Europe as it was not founded in ancient times, but rather more recently. That does not mean, however, that it doesn't have a unique history unto its own.

A multiple-choice quiz by Joepetz. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Joepetz

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
373,984

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
324

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which Swedish king founded Helsinki, then called Helsingfors, in 1550 so he could have a rival city to Reval (now Tallinn, Estonia), in the Hanseatic League? Hint

Carl XVI Gustaf

Albert of Mecklenberg

Charles XII

Gustav I

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Helsinki, then called Helsingfors, was founded in 1550. Its slow start finally began to speed up in 1748 with the construction of Sveaborg, a series of island fortresses that is today called what? Hint

Lapland

Old Rauma

Suomenlinna

Rovaniemi

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Helsinki, then called Helsingfors, was founded in 1550. It didn't really began to grow and become powerful until Sweden lost Finland in the Finnish War (1808-1809), to what power? Hint

Norway

Russia

Denmark

Ottoman Empire

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Which city, which was nearly destroyed in an 1827 fire, was the capital of Finland before it was moved to Helsinki in 1812? Hint

Espoo

Vantaa

Oulu

Turku

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. In the middle of the 19th century, Helsinki became the center for strife between the Fennomans (aided by Russian bureaucrats) and the Svecomans, over what? Hint

Religion

Language

Government

Arts

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Who was the Russian Governor-General of Finland, who was assassinated in Helsinki in 1904, amidst growing tensions between the Finns and the Russians? Hint

Georg Magnus Sprengtporten

Pehr Evind Svinhufvud

Sauli Niinisto

Nikolay Bobrikov

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. The Hotel Torni (built in 1931) was Finland's tallest building until 1987. It was the headquarters of what during World War II? Hint

The Finnish Prime Minister

Nazi offices when Finland became occupied by Germany

Lotta Svard, a women's paramilitary organization

An ammunitions factory

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The Elaintarhan ajot was what kind of sporting competition that ran from 1932 until 1963? Hint

Motor racing

Football/ Soccer

Tennis

Boxing

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Which of the following was NOT one of the principles agreed upon at the 1975 Helsinki Accords, which sought to improve relations between the Soviet Union and the western world, including Europe and North America? Hint

Noninterventionism in internal affairs

Work toward a peaceful, nonviolent solution to international problems

Human rights, including freedom of thought and religion

Finland gives land back to Russia in exchange for Russia withdrawing troops from Finland

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. What event did Helsinki host for the first time in 2007 at the Hartwell Arena? Hint

FIFA World Cup

Summer Olympic Games

Eurovision Song Contest

Winter Olympic Games

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which Swedish king founded Helsinki, then called Helsingfors, in 1550 so he could have a rival city to Reval (now Tallinn, Estonia), in the Hanseatic League?

Answer: Gustav I

The king's plan failed as Helsinki wasn't able to sustain a large population. Poverty and disease ran rampant throughout the city and a plague in 1710 killed most of the permanent population.

Answer: Suomenlinna

Sveaborg was initially built to protect Sweden from Russian invasions. Sveaborg is the Swedish name. The Finns called it Viapori until independence in 1917 when it was renamed Suomenlinna. The fortress spans an archipelago of six islands and is a popular tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Suomenlinna is no longer used as a fortress but it is a museum.

It is often called a town within Helsinki because there are some permanent residents who live and work on Suomenlinna.

3. Helsinki, then called Helsingfors, was founded in 1550. It didn't really began to grow and become powerful until Sweden lost Finland in the Finnish War (1808-1809), to what power?

Answer: Russia

The land that was Finland became known as the Grand Duchy of Finland with Helsinki as its capital. The Finnish War began when Sweden violated the terms of the Treaty of Tilsit by aligning with Britain against France and Denmark and because King Gustav Adolf foolishly thought his small Swedish army could successfully defeat the larger, stronger Russian military. King Gustav Adolf wanted Denmark's Norwegian territory and was angry that France, a then ally of Russia, was dominating the Baltic Sea.

4. Which city, which was nearly destroyed in an 1827 fire, was the capital of Finland before it was moved to Helsinki in 1812?

Answer: Turku

Turku is the oldest city in Finland having been founded in the 13th century. Prior to Helsinki becoming the capital, Turku was by far and away the most dominate city Finland. Czar Alexander I of Russia moved the capital from Turku to Helsinki because Turku was too far away from St. Petersburg.

This move essentially ended Turku's dominance and began Helsinki's as many of Turku's features, including universities and schools moved with the capital.

5. In the middle of the 19th century, Helsinki became the center for strife between the Fennomans (aided by Russian bureaucrats) and the Svecomans, over what?

Answer: Language

Both the Fennomans and the Svecomans spoke Swedish. However, the Fennomans wanted to promote Finnish to have a sense of nationalism. They were aided by the Russians who also wanted to promote the Finnish language in case a war broke out. The Russians feared that Finland would remain loyal to Sweden if the Finnish people spoke Swedish.

The Svecomans wanted to maintain the use of the Swedish language. By the turn of the 19th century, Finnish overtook Swedish as the most commonly used, but Swedish was still used in government duties until the 1920s.

6. Who was the Russian Governor-General of Finland, who was assassinated in Helsinki in 1904, amidst growing tensions between the Finns and the Russians?

Answer: Nikolay Bobrikov

Nikolay Bobrikov was pro-Russian politician. During the early 1900s, the Russians instituted a policy called "sortovuodet" in a failed attempt to Russianize Finland. At that time, Russia was trying to suppress the idea of Finnish nationalism and independence. Bobrikov essentially banned the Finnish language in government use and tried to draft Finnish soldiers into the Russian military.

The latter of which was largely ignored. All of these things made Bobrikov extremely unpopular with the Finns and he was assassinated by Eugen Schauman, a wealthy Finnish man who advocated for an independent Finland.

The date of the assassination was 16th June 1904 and is mentioned in James Joyce's "Ulysses" which takes place on the same day.

7. The Hotel Torni (built in 1931) was Finland's tallest building until 1987. It was the headquarters of what during World War II?

Answer: Lotta Svard, a women's paramilitary organization

Lotta Svard's main duty at Hotel Torni was to keep an eye out for bombers. In addition to those duties, Lotta Svard women also worked in hospitals. The Hotel Torni was also the site where Minna Craucher, often called the Finnish Mata Hari, was rumored to be murdered, although it is not actually known if this is true or if she was killed elsewhere.
The It�keskus in east Helsinki became the tallest building in 1987.

8. The Elaintarhan ajot was what kind of sporting competition that ran from 1932 until 1963?

Answer: Motor racing

The El�intarhan ajot featured both motorcar and motorcycle racing. It was a popular event until 1963 when two Swedish competitors crashed, killing one of them.

Answer: Finland gives land back to Russia in exchange for Russia withdrawing troops from Finland

The Helsinki Accords was an attempt to end the Cold War that had plagued the world since the end of World War II. The accords were nonbinding. The main theme of the Helsinki Accords was to allow the Soviet satellite states more independence by gaining more control over their internal affairs, including how to govern themselves, and to promote good relationships among the European nations.

10. What event did Helsinki host for the first time in 2007 at the Hartwell Arena?

Answer: Eurovision Song Contest

Helsinki was chosen after Finland won the contest in 2006 with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by the band Lordi. The 2007 contest in Helsinki was won by Serbian singer Marija Serifovic for the song "Moltiva."

Source: Author Joepetz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Related Quizzes

This quiz is part of series History of World Cities - Europe:

A collection of my quizzes on the history of individual world cities.

  1. History of Vienna Average
  2. The History of Cardiff Average
  3. The History of Glasgow Easier
  4. The History of Venice Average
  5. The History of Marseille Average
  6. The History of Milan Average
  7. The History of Geneva Average
  8. The History of Sarajevo Average
  9. The History of Cologne Average
  10. The History of St. Petersburg Average
  11. The History of Budapest Average
  12. The History of Prague Average