SECRET HELSINKI

A dog that managed to catch 108 criminals without human help, a statue to a homeless alcoholic, the anti-aircraft defences where Tom of Finland became a war hero, a plaque in honour of somebody who never existed, swimming naked in the country’s oldest swimming pool, the only church in the world that doubles as a lighthouse, a walk through the water to a secret island, a hidden Kalevala-scene fresco inside the Old Student House, a natural waterfall within the city, the location of Star Wars’ Princess Leia’s necklace, “Short Island” – the antithesis of New York’s Long Island, a church turned nightclub turned church again, the only statue of a Russian tsar outside Russia … Far from the crowds and the usual cliches, Helsinki is filled with hidden treasures revealed only to residents and visitors who leave the beaten path. An indispensable guide for those who thought they knew the city well or who would like to discover its many other facets.