Description

2012 is a year of sports. London will host the summer Olympics and Finland is looking back 60 years to 1952 when the Olympic Games were held in Helsinki. The legendary Helsinki Olympic Stadium will also be the venue for this year's European Athletics Championships.

The EHDs in Finland traditionally focus on the built heritage. Local sports and recreation facilities are immensely important for our well-being and are also a noteworthy part of the built environment. The theme Sports and Recreation highlights our sporting heritage from large stadiums to local sports fields and swimming halls.

Description

The 2011 theme of the European Heritage Days in Finland is Cultural Routes.  Historically, Finland was located at a crossroads of east and west: our built environment exhibits influences from both the European and eastern cultures.

Schools, museums, associations and other event organizers can draw inspiration from the theme to create events that will raise the public's awareness of diverse cultural routes and to show how local history is connected to the history of our continent.  The EHDs take place on 9–11 September.

This year marks Finland’s 20th anniversary of celebrating the European Heritage Days.

Description

This year's theme in Finland is the Built Landscape. The aim is to draw attention to everyday surroundings — What does the built landscape of today tell about our history? What do we value in our landscapes? What kind of built heritage do we want to leave for future generations?

Culture is constantly reshaping the landscape, but the historical layers are also visible in the cultural environment. In 2010 discussion of the local built landscape and its state, values and development is encouraged. The range of activities during the EHD in Finland is very broad. The events are organised by local communities and organisations, and they range, for example, from guided tours and lectures to art exhibitions and workshops. In 2010 the EHD are arranged in cooperation with the Finnish Local Heritage Federation. In 2010 the heritage weekend takes place on 10–12 September.

Description

Town and City Halls have always played an important role in the city and town structures and in cityscapes and townscapes. They also have a strong symbolic dimension, representing local democracy and authority. Town and City Halls provide a platform for discussing the relationships between architecture, local history and politics. They reflect the common values and attitudes of a given period of time.

The theme is topical, not least because of the on-going merger of municipalities, which means over 60 Finnish municipalities lost their independent role during 2009. Some of the City and Town Halls fallen into disuse, some need enlarging. New City and Town Halls are also being constructed.