Narinkka, Square in Kamppi, Helsinki, Finland
Narinkka, also known as Narinkkatori, is a square in the Kamppi district of Helsinki, Finland. It is bordered by the Kamppi Center to the west, a former financial building of the Turku barracks to the east, and the Simonkenttä hotel to the south, with the Kamppi Chapel standing on its south side.
The square took its current shape and name in 2005, when the area was redeveloped alongside the Kamppi Center. Before that, the site had been used for courtyard buildings of a Russian military company and an exercise field, and the nearby Turku barracks were destroyed in the Finnish Civil War of 1918.
The name Narinkka comes from an old Russian word for a market or trading place, a reminder of the square's role as a meeting point. Today, the open space often hosts temporary markets, small performances, and public gatherings, and the sculpture at its center is a common reference point for people meeting up.
The square is easy to reach on foot from the nearby Kamppi metro and bus station, and its flat, paved surface makes it accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. Because it is an open public space, you can walk through at any time, though events may occasionally take over part of the area.
The sculpture at the center of the square, called Yrittäjäveistos, was made by Eva Löfdahl and put up in 2006 to honor Finnish entrepreneurs. Few visitors realize that the square sits above a large underground bus terminal, which replaced the old central bus station that operated in the nearby building until 2005.
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