Helsn ORD e A B A n k P R e s e n T s A G U i D e T O H e l s i n k i lsA n n UA l R e P O RT O F J s C in ORD e A B A n k 2 n 0 1 4 i n k i GUIDE TO HELSINKI JSC Nordea Bank 2014 Annual Report DEAR FRIENDS, Once again, I am happy to present Nordea Bank Russia’s Annu- And today, I am proud to conclude that we as a bank managed al Report, this time introducing Helsinki, a capital of another to meet the challenge. It is very important for us and our cus- one of Nordea’s home markets. tomers that we were able not only to keep, but also to improve our position as a first-rate bank. We kept a very strong capi- Nordea Bank Russia is a part of Nordea banking group, an es- tal ratio of 19.25% (as at 1 January 2015) and the lowest corpo- tablished leader in the Northern Europe financial market for rate NPL in the market (0%) thanks to our most conservative many years. Finland is one of Nordea Group’s eight home mar- risk-taking policy. Based on the 2014 results, Nordea Bank Rus- kets that also include Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Baltic sia took the lead in the Forbes’ ranking of the safest banks States, and Russia. in Russia. 2014 was not an ordinary year for the global markets and for Unfortunately, the current state of the economy does not in- the Russian economy in particular. It was a year of change and spire explicit optimism. The development depends heavi- revaluation of many concepts, methods, targets, and priorities. ly on external drivers. But at the same time it depends on us. I dare say that for Russia it has been the most difficult year in And, fortunately, our life offers us a variety of happy occa- a decade. Deeply affected by various negative factors, our econ- sions — at work, in our family relations, and in travel. A chance omy proved to be a formidable challenge to companies and to see beautiful cities and countries, relax in the wild, learn banks. They had to find a way to continue growing and to de- something new, meet new people, take pictures and share liver the high-quality customer service without sacrificing our impressions. All that charges us with energy, which is in- their sustainability or efficiency. dispensable in today’s world. Together with our Finnish col- leagues, who participated in this report, we wish you a happy In those turbulent circumstances, it was vital for us and our journey and a good year! customers to develop the right strategy and to continue our rela- tions based on mutual trust and support. We were always there Best regards, for you, we communicated more frequently and extensively than usual, we helped each other with an adequate assessment Igor Bulantsev of the situation, rational response, and coordinated solutions. CEO, Nordea Bank Russia n A B w e s HELSINKI 1 contents 6 HISTORY AND CULTURE 2 22 MUSEUMS 34 WALKS AND ENTERTAINMENT 58 3 RESTAURANTS AND CAFÉS 70 SHOPPING 86 NIGHTLIFE 4 94 ABOUT THE BANK A B C D E 1 2 3 4 C D E HISTORY AND CULTURE Let’s go to the Library and then to the park Käydään ensIn kirjastossa ja sItten puIstossa [ KYAYUDYAYAN ensIn KIRYASTOSSA ya sITTEN PUYSTOSSA ] The old Helsinki is literary a long list of must-see sights, monuments, and souve- nir stalls. Tourists often make a mistake and try to see them at a run. The Finnish cap- ital is reserved and displays no snobbism, luxury, or breath-taking beauty; yet, it offers you many discoveries, unexpected views, and moments to remember. 6 the esplanade parK helsInki’s Champs-ÉlysÉes Northern and Southern Esplanades are something in between a boulevard and a park with linden tree alleys. It is the site of souvenir stalls, monuments, bou- tiques, and restaurants, including the famous Kappeli. In winter, the park be- comes home for the great Christmas Fair; in summer, concerts, dances, fashion shows, and some international festivals are organized on the open Espa Estrada (for example, Jazz Espa and Folk Espa). Here one can lie on the grass, have a pic- nic, feed doves, use free Wi-Fi, and even enjoy a massage. Enterprising Finnish massage therapists put their tables right here, in the shade of the acacias. 5С3 eteläesplanadi-pohjoisesplanadi (Kaartinkaupunki), www.espanlava.fi (website of the esplanade summer scene) 7 HISTORY AND CULTURE Liisa Friman, Chief Communicator, Nordea Finland The Old ChurCh Park It is a picturesque park to walk through or to sit down for a while on a busy day. The Old Church itself is small and beautiful, a popular site for church marriages. 5C3 helsInki raIlway statIon most famous example of FinnIsh jugendstIl A grandiose building of pink granite with a bronze dome and telamon statues is one of the best-known works of the Finnish architecture. There is the world’s only Presidential lounge, a private waiting lounge built in 1911 for the Russian Emperor. At that time, Finland was part of the Russian Empire. The towns- folk can stay in a cathedral-like hall under the glass dome and enjoy superb bakery and fresco paintings of Eero Järnefelt at the Eliel café. The Temppeliaukio 5С2 Brunnsgatan 1 church is built into the granite rock; its erstock round walls are made tt u H of stone, and the S dome is copper ; Finland’s 5B2 tonen al natIonal LiBrary V O (KANSALLIsKIRJASTO) lm /I K temple of ScIenCe at the senate square an B ia d The oldest and the most important scientific E M library in Finland is also another masterpiece of the 19th-century architecture by Carl Lud- sinki el wig Engel, the architectural pearl of the Sen- H The noisiest cel- ate Square ensemble. Engel designed the library of y y ebrations are held as a temple of science — a large domical hall it C in the square in front with fresco paintings and columns is at the heart ; of the Cathedral. of it. In the wooden galleries, you can admire sinki el fresco paintings on the walls and the ceiling, ex- For instance, the Day H of Saint Lucia — the amine ancient folios on the shelves, see a huge it is Queen of Light — collection of works on Slavic studies and thumb /V who is crowned with through a book from the shelf. burning candles each lsten 5С2 fabianinkatu 35. entrance is free. el year on December 13 H I www.nationallibrary.fi ss FOTOLINK; Ju 8 HISTORY AND CULTURE tterstock u H ; S altonen V lmo /I ank B ia d E M elsinki H of y y it helsInki Cathedral ; C (helsIngIn tuomIokirkko) elsinki CIty’s most photographed BuIldIng H 1757 That year the Sed- isit /V The Cathedral and the Senate Square around it form a unique ensemble in the Neoclassi- erholm House, the cism style and a symbol of the city. It took 22 years to build it, and the construction was oldest stone building finished in 1852. The architect Carl Ludwig Engel did not live to see his creation complet- in Helsinki, was built ellsten H ed; in one of the last letters of his life, he mentioned that he understood that he “created at the corner of the ssi an example of elegance that is hard to be surpassed”. Going up the steep cathedral stairs, Senate Square you can see the austere and reserved Nordic interior and admire the view of the harbour and ships’ masts. Concerts and exhibitions are organized here as well. FOTOLINK; Ju 5D2 unioninkatu 29, www.helsinginkirkot.fi 9 HISTORY AND CULTURE We adore festivaLs! raKastamme festareIta! [ RAKASTAMME festareITA! ] Opera arias in the Savonlinna medieval for- tress, hard rock at the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, theatre performances under tent- ed roofs of the coastal Tampere, Samba- carnival, Strawberry Festival… Summer fes- tivals are an important part of Finland’s culture. Held nearly every weekend in var- ious cities around the country, they gath- er crowds of grateful spectators, whatever their subject or genre is. 10 flow festIval music plus food From rock to electronic music, from tender Icelander Bjork to American rapper Kanye West, from veteran Nick Cave to young Finnish groups — the Flow Festival seeks to gather as many international music stars as pos- sible each year without bothering about the consisten- cy of style. Fifty thousand spectators come to the former electrical power plant Suvilahti not far from the Helsin- ki centre for several days in August. In addition to music, they are offered video installations, film shows, and copi- ous amounts of food. The best Helsinki restaurants cook special dishes for this festival. And while the musical pro- gramme of the festival is an annual game of chance, the food it offers is always perfect. 5D1 In 2015, the festival will be held on august 14–16. www.flowfestival.com 11 HISTORY AND CULTURE kalcan T asa /FOTOLINK; S va u ehtik ; L elsinki H isit /V ellsten H ssi , Ju helsInki festIval atilainen all art genres on thIrty venues R ssi For Helsinki this festival is a rough equivalent of the Rio carnival. They await it the whole ; Ju Tuska Open Air Metal year; all famous performers, musicians, choreographers, producers prepare for it. Its Festival is a big-time programme is a mix of all genres: classical music, jazz, rock, circus, dance, theatre, cine- estival F international hard ma, modern art… The festival has been held for 60 years on thirty venues, including li- music festival held braries, parks and fountains.