Monument to Jan Sibelius (Sibelius-monumentti)

The standard sightseeing tour of Helsinki is usually the first thing tourists are taken to the area in the Sibelius Park in the district of Taka-Teale. Here is the most famous sculpture of Finland - monument to Sibelius (Sibelius-monumentti на карте).

Jan Sibelius (1865-1957) was the largest Finnish composer known for his symphonies on the themes of folk epics. After studying in Berlin and Vienna the first experience of the composer was music for the symphonic poem "Kullervo", created based on Kalevala. There is an opinion that Sibelius wrote music for the anthem of Finland, and received great popularity among the people, but it is not. His creative activity took place during the national revival of the national consciousness of the Finns, who were under the oppression of the Russian Empire, and the works of Sibelius based on Finnish folklore became a symbol of this period.

The monument in Helsinki was opened in 1967, the year of his death.

Sculptor Eila Hiltunen immortalized the memory of the great countryman in the form of a 25-ton structure of six hundred "silver pipes" arranged in the form of a wavy pattern - so in the artist's view looked Sibelius music. The project has caused negative feedback from the creative community, but the monument is still built, but hidden away from the eyes, in a quiet Park.

Despite this, the monument gained wide popularity and became the most visited tourist site in the Finnish capital.

Helsinki residents say that when the wind blows from the Bay, the pipes sound like an organ, but today the building did not make any sounds.

Sibelius himself was very fond of nature, and often said that he draws his inspiration from the Finnish landscapes. So the location of the monument in this picturesque place is quite consistent with the spirit of the composer.