Helsinki

Helsinki founded by Sweden, refashioned by Russia, forever shaped by the sea

The Finnish capital has come a long way in 475 years, going from a sleepy fishing village to a thriving Nordic metropolis renowned internationally for its architecture, design and quality of life.

This intricate and expansive new history lays bare the perils and occasional perks of Helsinki's position on the Baltic Sea, sandwiched between East and West. It tells how the city survived the rise and fall of two empires to become the figurehead of independent Finland in 1917. And how, since then, it has grown and flourished through language battles, Soviet air raids and Cold War compromises.

Through his trademark flowing prose, Henrik Meinander explores all corners of the city, from trade, military conflict and architecture to the minutiae of everyday existence. And through his eye for a telling anecdote, the reader experiences the city's momentous events: the 1855 bombardment of Suomenlinna by an Anglo-French fleet, the 1918 Red Uprising and the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

More than most European capitals, Helsinki has spent centuries at the mercy of geopolitical twists and turns far beyond its inhabitants' control. This history is a timely reminder of how quickly these forces can alter a city's destiny and of how their impact is rarely as deterministic as it first appears.