thisisFINLAND

Turkish organisation that combats violence against women receives international award in Finland

Finland has awarded the International Gender Equality Prize, the first high-profile prize of its kind in the world, to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform – an organisation doing groundbreaking work to combat violence against women in Turkey.

Life & society Nature

The Northern Lights colour the skies over Finland

Finland’s natural scenery includes, by any measure, some of the most beautiful views in the world: blue lakes, emerald forests and snowy winter landscapes.

Life & society Cuisine

Serving some of our favourite dishes: southern Finnish recipes

Here are a few much-loved recipes that are popular in southern Finland and across the country.

Arts & culture Film

“Plans are just plans”: Prize-winning Finnish film traces train trip to northern Russia

Director Juho Kuosmanen tells us about the adventure of making an unusual road movie that won the Grand Prix at Cannes.

Arts & culture Fashion

Bold prints and sustainability: Finnish design house Marimekko celebrates at 70

Finnish textile and clothing brand Marimekko marks 70 bold and colourful years in 2021. We talk with Mika Ihamuotila, the chair of the board, about the company’s history and future – and about his love for the Finnish archipelago.

Business & innovation Education

Finnish company encourages fun science education for kids

Kide Science creates science education for children that is literally child’s play. The fun, hands-on pedagogical model is based on substantial research into how kids learn best.

Facts, stats and info Work

How about getting a job in Finland?

Have you ever considered working in Finland? Our article includes info and links covering everything from job ads to work-life balance.

Arts & culture Literature

Finland’s Moomin stories pop up at multilingual Read Hour event in Reykjavík, Iceland

The Finnish initiative Read Hour takes place on UN International Literacy Day. We visit a Read Hour event in Reykjavík, Iceland, where Sophia Jansson, niece of Moomin creator Tove Jansson, talks about the famous characters and reads aloud from one of the stories.

Life & society Environment

Finland’s European Green Capital and Green Leaf cities aim for lasting legacies

Having risen to the challenge of successfully staging a landmark event during a pandemic, the city of Lahti is focused on making a lasting environmental contribution.

Arts & culture Festivals

How two festivals in Helsinki brought art, music and design to audiences, despite obstacles

Two beloved fixtures on Helsinki’s early autumn calendar – the Helsinki Festival and Helsinki Design Week – shared outdoor exhibitions, pop-up gift concerts and other memorable experiences while respecting pandemic restrictions.

Life & society Cuisine

Delicacies from the top of the world go down well: northern Finnish recipes

The northernmost part of Finland has its own culinary specialities, including recipes that use unusually flavourful potatoes, delicate orange cloudberries and reindeer meat.

Life & society Nature

Everything matters: Volunteering time and talent to help Finland’s environment

From deploying underwater sensors to building nesting sites in the snow for the endangered Saimaa ringed seal, people in Finland contribute their skills to preserve the natural world.

Life & society Sports

Ambition and big hearts guide Finnish women’s football to Euro 2022 and beyond

A collective ethic, ambition and pure talent are the keys to the success of the Finnish national women’s football team, which has already secured a place in Euro 2022 and is seeking to qualify for the next world cup.

Arts & culture Design

Finnish design company Iittala celebrates 140 years of creating a world in glass

The town of Iittala, 125 kilometres (75 miles) north of Helsinki, has a tradition of glassblowing and design that goes all the way back to 1881. As the Iittala brand celebrates 140 years of creativity, we look at its prominent place in Finnish design.

Life & society Wellbeing

Summer in the city: An open-air pool beckons in the heart of Helsinki

Helsinki Swimming Stadium is an oasis. In a park in the middle of the Finnish capital, you can swim in a heated, Olympic-size outdoor pool or work out at an open-air gym.

Arts & culture Visual arts

Art in the archipelago: Helsinki Biennial reflects global concerns

Exploring identity, interconnectedness and the ecological crisis, the event’s theme and subtitle, “The Same Sea,” is more relevant than ever in a world marked by a pandemic.