Mannerheimintie

Mannerheimintie is the principal axis of Helsinki and, at some 5.5 kilometers, the longest street in the Finnish capital. It has carried the name of Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, military commander during the Winter War and later President of Finland, since 1942; previously it was Henriksgatan, or Heikinkatu. Along it stand Parliament House, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Alvar Aalto's Finlandia Hall, Eliel Saarinen's central station and the Stockmann department store. Tram lines follow it for much of its length. Walking it carries you in a single sweep through the political, cultural and commercial heart of the country.