Tove Jansson’s Helsinki

Explore the city of Tove Jansson - artist, author, and creator of the Moomins

Distance
3.6 km
Start location
Uspenski Cathedral
End location
Tähtitorninvuori park
Duration
1.5 hour(s)
Genre
Age rating
6+
Language

99 kr

Read this in — Svenska, Suomi

Experience the story of Tove Jansson in Helsinki

Take a walk through central Helsinki and explore the places that played a key role in Tove Jansson’s life and career. A journey from 1914 to 2001, accompanied by Tove and her friends, lovers, family members, and Moomin characters.

This authorized self-guided audio walk was created in collaboration with Moomin Characters Oy Ltd. The narrator is actress Alma Pöysti, who portrayed Tove in the film about her life and whose grandparents were close friends of Tove’s.

From Katajanokka to Observatory Hill

The walk begins outside the Uspenski Cathedral, where Tove played as a child and created her first imaginary worlds. You’ll hear about her upbringing in the artistic Jansson-Hammarsten family, before continuing toward the Market Square and the story of the war years that shaped her youth and early adult life.

During the walk, you’ll visit places such as the gallery where Tove held her first solo exhibition, the building where her studio home was located and the old Lilla Teatern premises, where the Moomin play Troll in the Wings had its world premiere. At each location, you’ll see unique images from Tove’s personal archive.

You will also visit the Moomin Shop and receive a special discount code to use in the shop!

Let the StoryTourist app guide you

To take the tour, simply download the user-friendly StoryTourist app. It features a map, GPS, and a digital guide to keep you on the right track. Once you’ve purchased the tour, it’s yours to keep—you can use it whenever and as often as you like.

Through the StoryTourist-app, you’ll hear the story of Tove Jansson’s life and art. The only thing you need to be able to explore Helsinki in this brand-new way is a smartphone with headphones.

Read this in — Svenska, Suomi

How this tour works:

Your smartphone is your guide on this tour! Once you have purchased a tour, this is what you do:

  • Download the StoryTourist app from Apple App Store or Google Play, while connected to Wi-Fi.
  • Log into the app using the same email address you filled in when purchasing the tour. You will create your password the first time you log into the app. The tour you have purchased will be ready to download in the tour library once you have logged in. Make sure you are still connected to Wi-Fi while downloading the tour.
  • Go to the starting point of the tour, open the app, put your headphones on and head out on your StoryTour adventure!

Important information:

  • This is a location based experience. You have to be at the tour starting point by the Uspenskij Cathedral in Helsinki, Finland, to start this walking tour.
  • The tour ends at the Tähtitorninvuori park.
  • Once the tour is downloaded to your phone, you can use it offline.
  • There is a map, GPS and a digital guide in the app, making sure that you’ll walk the right way.
  • This tour is available in English, Swedish and Finnish.
  • Once you have purchased the tour, it is yours to keep. You can use it whenever you want and as many times as you would like. You can start, pause and end the tour whenever you would like.
  • This tour is pet friendly – feel free to bring your dog on this walk!
  • Public transport is available close to both the tour start point and end point.
  • This tour is not accessible with a wheelchair due to stairs.
  • We recommend participants to be 6 years old or over, to enjoy this tour.

What to bring:

  • Your smartphone, with the StoryTourist app and the tour you purchased already downloaded. 
  • Headphones, for the best possible listening experience
  • Make sure that your smartphone battery is fully charged. If you know that your phone has poor battery capacity, it can be a good idea to bring a powerbank as well.

The Uspenski Cathedral

The Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Eastern Orthodox church in Northern and Western Europe. It was completed in 1868, when Finland was part of the Russian Tsardom.

Kauppatori market square

The Market Square is the largest square in Helsinki. The "Keisarinnankivi" monument was erected in honour of Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna's first visit to Helsinki in 1833.

Viktor Jansson's Water Nymphs

A young Tove modelled for the larger water nymph in this sculpture by her father Viktor Jansson, created 1940-1944.

Senate Square

Senate Square is the heart of historic Helsinki, surrounded by buildings of religious, political, scientific and commercial power. The statue depicts the Grand Duke Alexander II of Russia.

Bank of Finland

Here, on the plinth of the statue of J. V. Snellman outside the Bank of Finland, traces of the bombings of Helsinki have been preserved.

Bäcksbacka Gallery

Founded in 1915 by Leonard Bäcksbacka, Taidesalonki is the oldest art gallery in Finland. During parts of the war years, they held exhibitions here, at Unioninkatu 28.

Hotel Kämp

During the 20th century, Hotel Kämp was a legendary haunt of Finnish and international luminaries from the world of art, politics and business.

The Moomin Shop

In this Moomin shop, inspired by the book Moominsummer Madness, you will find the world's largest range of Moomin products. At the end of the interaction, a discount code awaits you!

Lilla Teatern

These were the first premises of Lilla Teatern, founded in 1940 as a freer alternative to Svenska Teatern. In 1955, Vivica Bandler took over as owner and artistic director.

Tove's studio home

At the top of the square tower of this building, Tove lived and worked in her combined home and studio from 1944 until the end of her life.

Helsinki Observatory

When the Helsinki astronomical observatory was built in 1834, it was one of the most modern observatories in the world and served as a model for many other observatories in Europe.

The Castaways

The Castaways by Robert Stigell (1898) was the city's first public sculpture not to commemorate a historical event or person and has been interpreted in many different ways.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

  • Uspenski Cathedral - in the Katajanokka area where Tove grew up in an artistic family
  • Kauppatori market square - with the Presidential Palace and the City Hall
  • Senate Square - with the iconic Helsinki Cathedral
  • Hotel Kämp - the place where the international success of the Moomins began
  • The Moomin Shop - the flagship store in Helsinki, where you'll have access to a special discount code
  • The outside of Tove's studio home - where Tove lived and worked from 1944 until the end of her life
  • Helsinki Observatory - which inspired the book Comet in Moominland
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