H The Tower of Silence is located in the Kamppi area on Narinkkatori Square.
This is a project dedicated to the theme “Helsinki - the capital of design”. Creative place. The Kamppi Chapel of Silence is also called the chapel or chapel of silence. Services (baptisms, funerals) are not held in the chapel, but prayer services are held, although the Kamppi Chapel of Silence is not associated with a specific religion. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of their religiosity and worldview...

The chapel was built in one year in 2012.

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The initiative to build a chapel on Narinkka Square came from the Helsinki City Planning Department, which organized the architectural competition. Studio K2S won the City Planning Department's competition to build the chapel in 2008.

The wooden chapel with a curving façade was designed by architects Mikko Summanen, Kimmo Lintula and Nico Sirola of the K2S architectural bureau (pictured below).

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Construction of the chapel.

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In 2012, 250 thousand people visited the chapel, 750 of whom had personal conversations and received psychological assistance. (C) Wikipedia))) scary place, as it appears...

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It’s really almost deathly silence inside... but it’s good to think...

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The height of the main hall is 11.5 m. The internal walls of the chapel are lined with carefully fitted milled black alder beams.

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Simplified ash furniture. There are even pillows to lie on...

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The silver altar cross is the work of Finnish jeweler Antti Nieminen. The vestments of the throne - textile artist Tiina Uimonen. Everything is simple at the level of minimalism...

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The facades are made of horizontal spruce slats bent at different radii, treated with glaze wax using nanotechnology.

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The frame of the building is made of massive milled laminated wood frames.

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If you're near her, stop by, it's interesting))

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View of Narinkkatori Square from above... part of photos and pictures (C) Internet.

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In the capital of Finland, in the Kamppi district on Narinkkatori Square, amid the city noise, there is a small oasis of complete calm - the chapel of silence. This small temple is located in the city center on a noisy street near the bus station, shopping center and popular cafes. Thousands of tourists also come here to visit one of the city's most unusual attractions. Races and festivals often take place on the track near the chapel. To get away from the bustling capital of Finland and feel some peace, visit the Chapel of Silence in Kamppi. The main disadvantage of this place is also associated with tourists - having become widely known outside Finland, the chapel of silence has ceased to be a quiet place. However, this attraction is worth your attention, especially if you are already in Helsinki.

The chapel project was developed by the architectural studio K2S in 2008, and the structure was officially opened in 2012. The architects of the Chapel of Silence are Kimmo Lintula, Niko Sirola and Mikko Summanen, and the initiator of the construction was the city municipality, which set itself the goal of improving the quality of life of Finns.

Despite high level life in the 1990s, the capital of Finland was also known as the “suicide city”, and now the state ranks 33rd in the ranking of suicide rates among countries in the world. main reason lies not in the standard of living, but in the atmosphere, because the country has a minimum number of sunny days, lack of heat and low level religiosity. All this leads to depression, which not everyone immediately pays due attention to. This problem was not resolved for several years until local authorities approved a project for a chapel of silence, which would become a light-filled place where one could be alone with oneself. The yellow color resembles a sunny sky and gives the place a special coziness, and the curved shape of the structure seems to embrace all visitors. There are also stones inside, from which you can make a bed and sit on the floor.

It is noteworthy that no religious services are held in this building, and the place is more suitable for meditation. Also at the entrance there are social workers and clergy who are ready to talk with everyone. You can also join a project that works on this attraction as a volunteer.

What to see in the Chapel of Silence in Kamppi

The small yellow building on the south side of the square is clearly distinguished from other modern buildings by its architectural features and the purpose of construction. The outer side of the chapel is made of bent spruce slats, which were treated with glaze wax, and you can enter the structure through a special glass entrance.

The interior of the chapel is finished in black alder, and there is also ash furniture. The main decoration of the chapel, which tourists can see inside, is a silver crucifix on the pulpit. The altar is the work of jeweler Antti Nieminen, and the textile decoration is the work of artist Tiina Uimonen. Sunlight enters the building through special slots and creates a special calming atmosphere, which is conducive to quiet time, meditation and philosophical thoughts.

The architects were given the main task before construction, which was to completely cut off city noise. Silence should help visitors hear themselves and make the right decisions, as well as listen to their own desires.

Address

The Chapel of Silence is located at: Finland, Helsinki, Simonkatu.

How to get there

To get to the Chapel of Silence in the Kampi area, you need to get to the Kampin metroasema metro station, or you can take a bus or tram to the Simonkatu stop.

This attraction is located on Narinkkatori Square.

Working hours

You can visit the chapel from Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 20:00, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Entry is free for all visitors.

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Of course, the Kamppi Chapel of Silence is noticeably different from classical structures of this kind and bears little resemblance to a real chapel. There are no services or mass religious ceremonies held here, but the main philosophical meaning of this institution is fully consistent with its status. The chapel was built in 2012 according to the design of the capital's architectural bureau K2S and was intended as a monastery for people of all faiths. Now the Kamppi Chapel exists under the patronage of the Helsinki Parish Administration and the City Department social security. The building covers an area of ​​352 square meters. m. It houses a chapel with a sacristy, a foyer, an office, a small reception room, a spacious wardrobe, a toilet and a number of other rooms.

A separate advantage of this unusual architectural object is the abundance of wood, thanks to which a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere is created inside. Comfortable wooden benches are equipped especially for visitors in the chapel, and if desired, guests can take soft gray pillows made in the shape of unusual stones. The ceiling is made of plasterboard, and light, due to the already mentioned lack of windows, leaks along the curved walls, through a wide ceiling hatch cut out along the entire perimeter. Fluorescent lamps are also installed under the ceiling. For those praying in the Kamppi Chapel of Silence, an altar is made, where there is a silver altar cross created by the Finnish needleworker Antti Nieminen.

The building has 2 entrances, designed in the form of elegant glass facades overlooking Narinkkatori Square and the Glass Palace. From the very first day of its appearance, the Kamppi Chapel of Silence gained great popularity among guests and residents, becoming one of its main attractions. On this moment, the building is an integral part architectural ensemble Narinkatori Square and serves as a must-have photo shoot for most tourists.

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Kamppi Chapel of Silence

This strange structure was so pleasant to look at, and the smooth tree beckoned to touch it and stroke its reliefs. It seemed that if you tried, you could catch the faint smell of wood. But I didn’t dare smell it :)
-Where are we? - I woke up from my thoughts.
- Hello! Where were we going?! You wanted to see this?!” the husband was indignant.
- Exactly! This is Kamppi! Chapel of Silence!

The architects chose a strange place for the Chapel of Silence - Narinkkatori Square, which seems to be the most crowded place in Helsinki. And even more captivating is the fact that among the human noise and din, the architects managed to achieve almost frightening silence.

We were very lucky and unlucky at the same time in the Chapel of Silence. But to make it clear what our luck consisted of, I will first tell you how everything works there.

The building, as I have already noticed, resembles a huge wooden ship, and the color of this ship is sunny amber. Even in the gloomiest and rainiest weather, it always seems sunny near the chapel. Therefore, I didn’t even notice the inconspicuous rectangular extension, in which they made the entrance to the chapel and in the lobby of which they organized a reception for social services and parish workers, read priests, if I had not rested my nose on the map at the entrance.

So, now about why we were unlucky. A children's room was set up in the chapel lobby. playground, where someone’s tiny child was languishing in boredom, periodically attracting attention to himself by crying. This crying was so piercing that silence completely disappeared from the chapel. But when the child calmed down, silence returned, and then the time of our luck came, because there was no one else in the chapel except us.

Inside the chapel, sometimes the silence became absolute. In those minutes it seemed to me that I heard (not felt, but heard) the beating of my heart. And the husband “complained” that at times he had to hold back his own breathing, it seemed so loud. Although I was sitting next to him and didn’t hear any of his breathing.

Of course, when tourists came in, the silence became not so absolutely piercing, but still remained silence.

Despite the fact that all the interior decoration and furniture is made of natural wood, there is no feeling that you are in a Finnish sauna. Warm, cozy, natural, but not a sauna :) The furniture is very simple in its design. Although soft pebbles are not so easy. You want to come up and sit on a pebble, and when you realize that the stones are not stone, you want to lie on them, but it’s somehow uncomfortable :) The simplest thing in the temple, in my opinion, is the altar and the altar cross. This simple, inconspicuous silver cross is the work of jeweler Antti Nieminen

In the chapel, like in a real temple, there is a place for fire and candles

In the center of Helsinki, on Narinkkatori Square, near a large shopping center, there is a place where those who are tired of the incessant human movement can turn to retreat for a while, sit, take a deep breath and exhale, slowing down the pace of their day. This is the Kamppi Chapel, also known as the Chapel of Silence. A wooden structure without windows, shaped like a large cup without a handle.

This chapel was designed by the architectural studio K2S in 2008 and built three years later. The customer for the construction was the Helsinki municipality as part of a program to improve the quality of life of citizens: the fact is that despite the high level of well-being, the Scandinavian countries still remain in fairly high positions in the lists of countries in terms of the number of suicides; Finland still ranks 33rd in the world, ahead of almost all others European countries, and in the 90s Helsinki was even called the “city of suicides.” Lack of warmth and sun, gray skies lead Finns to depression, the level of religiosity in the country is declining (but Sweden is still the most atheistic country), even social support to some extent has a paradoxical effect on citizens - the more a person is protected, the more predictable and Life seems useless to those who are suicidal. The problem has remained relevant for many years, and authorities annually come up with new ways to reduce the number of suicides: in Finland there is even a special Suicide Prevention Day, which includes bike rides, marathons, public discussions and other events. The construction of the Chapel of Silence was one of these measures.

Even when it is gloomy outside, the chapel is filled with warm light. Thin wooden slats made of alder, which line the walls outside and inside, are a cheerful, cozy yellow-orange color. The soft, curved shape of the chapel seems to embrace visitors. The simple furniture of the temple (benches and pulpit) is made of light ash, and on the side of the benches there are stones - soft felt stones, from which you can make a couch on the floor and sit comfortably, like in a nest.

Here you can really be safe, warm, and think about something of your own. There are no religious services held in the chapel, no baptisms, no weddings or funeral services; it is rather a place of meditation - a guest can take a Bible (bibles in many languages ​​are collected here) and read, or can simply be with oneself in silence and in harmony. It is not customary to talk in the chapel itself, but in the hall in front of the entrance there are social workers and clergy on duty who are ready to talk with those who need support. The Kamppi Chapel is open daily from morning to evening and entry is free to everyone.

This good place, and it’s good for everyone - except for living up to its own name. The acoustics of the bowl are such that every tiny sound easily spreads throughout the room and touches every ear. And people are great generators of these small sounds. With each person who opens the door, snatches of conversation and laughter from the hall enter the chapel. Each person who enters rustles his clothes on the way to the bench, his steps, coughs, and sighs can be heard. He sits down noisily. It's ringing in his pocket mobile phone. He does not immediately find it in his bag, rattling objects, answers in an expressive whisper, and turns it off. He takes out the camera, beeps with the voiced focus, and clicks the shutter. He puts the camera in his pocket, loudly closing the zipper. He leaves, slamming the door and again letting in sounds from the hall... And now we have to take into account that the Chapel of Silence is quite popular place and even on a weekday there are 10-15 people there at the same time (and in total it can accommodate up to 70 visitors).

It’s good to sit on felt pebbles, plugging your ears with your fingers. For some reason, my eyes close at the same time. And when all that remains is the warm orange light penetrating through the eyelids, peace finally comes, it can’t help but come.