Alexander wanted to shift the Finnish capital closer to Russia and farther away from the Swedish enemy. It was a bold decision as fire had gutted Helsinki's city centre just four years earlier.
Also at the time, Finland had just been conquered by Russia in the war of 1808-09, leading the country to become a part of Russia as a Grand Duchy.
Helsinki was established in 1550. Two centuries later, the population of Helsinki totalled around 8,000, which was slightly less than that of the city of Turku. Within its present borders, Helsinki today boasts a population of around 590,000.
