It originated when German architect Carl Ludwig Engel was entrusted with planning the redevelopment of the city center. Several neoclassical buildings were constructed at the time. The centerpiece of Engel’s city plan was Senate Square. It was surrounded by Government Square, the main building of the University of Helsinki, and the large Helsinki Cathedral, which was completed in 1852, twelve years after Engel’s death.
Most of Helsinki’s older buildings were built after the 1808 fire. The oldest surviving building from before this period is Sederholm House (1757).
