still flirting with the ideals of classicism designed the staff building for the volunteer militia in the town of Seinäjoki in east Finland It is one of the few early buildings in this style by Aalto that can be viewed in its original condition beating 45 other architects in a competition to design the Lakeuden Risti church was a Gesamtkunstwerk that saw the architect design everything from the pews and window paintings to the fabrics for the altar Seinäjoki is a place where the shadow of Finland’s modernist hero looms large Aalto would go on to design five more buildings that form the cultural centre of this modest town of roughly 60,000 people theatre and municipal library – were completed between 1960 and 1987 (11 years after Aalto’s death) the daunting task of extending Aalto’s 1967 library was completed by Helsinki-based architect JKMM which won the project in a 2008 competition “The most important factor was definitely the site – the very valuable protected cultural environment,” says Asmo Jaaksi “Not an easy place to build an extension.” The architect’s response was to find the right balance between conciliatory and challenging JKMM conceived the library extension as a sculptural form divided into three distinct masses This creates a fragmented presence that stops it getting lost among the monolithic Aalto buildings Copper-clad walls and roofs are a conscious effort to differentiate the old white buildings from the new The open-plan interiors maximise the views out and allow the functions of the building to flow into each other the centerpiece being a stepped seating area for people to gather “A public library is not any more just a place for borrowing books and pursuing knowledge,” Jaaksi says “It is a place for various activities.” There are no vertical columns to support the concrete roof spans and there is a heaviness to the structure that encloses the space The interior makes subtle concessions to the work of the master that lurks outside the massive windows: the sunken library space is a nod to a tactic that Aalto used in libraries to give visitors a view over the collections and the reading rooms offer views across the plaza to the civic centre JKMM sees its library as a new layer to the fabric of Seinäjoki For Jaaksi it is time for Finnish architecture to start moving on from its prestigious but hindering heritage but I think the golden ages of Finnish design and architecture were the 1950s and 60s That’s why we must search for momentum from Aalto’s heritage over and over again,” Jaaksi says Aalto was such a genius that he made something exceptionally great and lasting But certainly we should also find something unprecedented and fresh.” The most important factor was definitely the site – the very valuable HELSINKI -- Police in Finland believe they have caught a car-thief thanks to a DNA sample taken from a sample of his blood found inside a mosquito some 380 kilometres (235 miles) north of Helsinki It was soon found near a railway station in Seinaejoki about 25 kilometres from where it was stolen "A police patrol carried out an inspection of the car and they noticed a mosquito that had sucked blood which showed the blood belonged to a man who was in the police registers," inspector Sakari Palomaeki said saying he had hitchhiked and was given a lift by a man driving the car Palomaeki said a prosecutor would decide if the evidence was solid enough for charges to be pressed Finnish police said it was rare for them to use insects to solve crimes although they are interested in everything found at a crime scene In training we were not told to keep an eye on mosquitoes at crime scenes," Palomaeki said "It is not easy to find a small mosquito in a car this just shows how thorough the crime scene investigation was," he added How the tango took over Finland’s over 50s hatched an idea for a tango festival while sitting in a sauna The Seinäjoki Tango Festival now draws over 100,000 people each July to an otherwise unremarkable town near Finland’s west coast and is a slice of Scandinavian midsummer eccentricity which throws as much light on the Finnish soul as it provides exercise for Finnish soles Perhaps it’s not so surprising that a country marked by empty distances and wintry solitude should be seduced by music based on longing and desire “The Finns are very melancholy,” admitted festival spokesman Ilkka Heiskari “And it’s the quickest way to get a lady.” “The songs say things that he cannot say to his partner.” The main excitement centred on who would be crowned Tango King and Queen in the song competition which accompanied the dancing This is Finland’s answer to Pop Idol: a clutch of bright young wannabes whittled down from 1,000 early contenders belting out crowd-pleasing sentimentality in front of TV cameras and packed auditoria A fifth of Finland’s five million people watch the televised finals and there’s even official betting on who’ll win though the only thing which seemed a certainty was that they would all have great skin and razor sharp cheekbones “He is very big now,” whispered my Finnish friend Riitta though I wasn’t sure if she was referring to his popularity or the fruits of success threatening to burst from beneath his cummerbund But even if he did look a bit like Robbie Williams with five extra years and ten extra kilos squeezing every ounce of emotion from each song of love The dancing is a slightly less emotive affair When Argentinian performers first brought the tango to Europe in the 1910s the craze swept the continent over the next two decades a torch picked up in Britain by bands with names like Geraldo and his Gauchos But while the passion for tango waned elsewhere by the end of the 1920s undergoing a transformation which replaced sharp Latin athleticism with a slower up-close shuffle – described memorably by one anonymous wag as “an Argentine tango with a bucket of water thrown on it” The 1950s saw an explosion in outdoor dancing as the Finns cast off their wartime cares Dance pavilions (lavatanssit) sprang up in every village and venues like Pavin Tanssilava in Vantaa the tango is seen as largely a middle-aged thing But it is still taught in Finnish schools along with perfect English and social responsibility and even the youngsters who roll their eyes when you mention it can usually name the Tango King and Queen crowned each year at Seinäjoki After cramming into a little hall in Seinäjoki with hundreds of locals for a lesson from tango legend Ake Blomqvist and fortified with drink from the sprawling marquees that had sprung up in the town centre no-one really cared if you had two left feet though there was not actually enough space to try anything too flashy even if you knew how Clutching fellow novice Amanda to my chest shuffling convincingly enough to a procession of local bands beneath a midsummer sky that Despite its northern European sophistication though attitudes to it are dismissive among the younger generation “Tango is bollocks,” I was told by twentysomething Jani as we drank in hip central bar Fiba where the local spirit Koskenkorva inspires more passion than a dance lacking in both beats per minute and cool associations His friend Sami echoed the sentiment: “I know all the moves Tango in Helsinki is an underground activity – literally since the city’s tango Mecca is a basement dancehall In the etiquette of tango it’s not the done thing to refuse a dance But even if Finnish liberalism means women are technically able to ask for a dance anytime most wait until the bandleader announces “Naistenhaku” (“Ladies’ choice”) “When people turn 40 they suddenly want to tango,” she said “It’s more popular in the countryside too.” The next night I headed for the countryside Lohjan Tanhuhovi is an hour out of Helsinki a country dance-hall whose neon sign stood out in the twilit fields and pine forests My initial impression was of a set from a Scandinavian Twin Peaks without the damn fine coffee but with the same air of a world slightly out of kilter There are dance halls like this all around Finland Over the entrance the word Hummpasali in big letters sounded like ribald acknowledgement of the city slickers’ sneers about tango halls being more about pick-ups than dancing – though it turned out that hummpa was simply a Finnish cross between a waltz and a foxtrot gazing across a wide dancefloor at seated tables of women along the opposite wall a combo glorying in the name Markus Tormala & FBI Beat belted out numbers for dancers who ebbed and flowed to a pattern I couldn’t even begin to grasp gliding lightly around the floor with a succession of partners curved uncomplainingly around his paunch proof perhaps that sometimes grace really can be more important than looks Meanwhile a fashion parade of styles not seen in Britain since the early 70s swept by in the warm yellow light to the amazement and amusement of the women in my group “The only time I’ve ever seen anything like this was at the Rose of Tralee festival,” muttered Irish Eileen in awe-struck tones Locals come from as far as 50km away to dance here on a Saturday A vivacious blonde pushing towards her mid-century dancing is a passion that Marjatta has suffered for “doing the paso doble on a slippery floor.” We twirled with extra care adding to the modicum of grace for a couple more dances before I resumed my position as visiting wallflower watching as couples moved in time to the slow spinning of the glitterballs above their heads The derision of the Helsinki smart set was still in my ears but I thought they were missing the touching innocence of this search for closeness in the middle of a lonely northern night perhaps it made up for with inhibitions lost Sign up to our newsletter for free with the Wanderlust Club HELSINKI FINLAND Housing costs in Finland remain highly dependent on location with significant differences in electricity A new report by Omakotiliitto compares municipal housing costs across 100 cities The report found that Nurmijärvi has the highest housing costs and Kokkola also ranking among the most affordable municipalities A resident in Nurmijärvi pays an average of €6,986 per year in municipal housing-related costs The price gap between the most and least expensive municipalities was €2,432 slightly lower than last year’s difference of €2,607 The primary reason for Nurmijärvi’s high costs is its higher electricity prices The report compared general electricity contracts from local providers Nurmijärven Sähköverkko Oy charges €0.2023 per kWh while Seinäjoen Seiverkot Oy offers the lowest price at €0.0901 per kWh Electricity prices have fallen by 14% on average since last year “Comparing electricity contracts is essential to finding the most cost-effective option for your home,” said Marju Silander Parikkala has the highest annual water fees at €1,686 Water fees have risen more than other housing costs driven by investment needs in infrastructure Some municipalities have seen sharp price hikes where water prices have increased 80.5% in seven years Raisio has reduced water prices by 11.6% over the same period “Municipalities recognize the need for upgrades to water infrastructure A pending water law reform will require utility companies to publish investment plans detailing future network improvements,” Silander said She encouraged local homeowner associations to discuss upcoming infrastructure investments and their impact on water costs with municipal officials “With municipal elections coming up in spring residents have a chance to influence local decision-making,” she added waste collection costs have increased more modestly compared to last year when the introduction of mandatory biowaste collection led to sharp price hikes Some municipalities still saw major changes Kauhajoki raised biowaste collection fees significantly causing a 62% increase in total waste charges Mikkeli managed to reduce waste fees by 32% The highest waste collection fees are in Raahe at €609 per year while the lowest are in the Tampere region (including Kangasala The comparison is based on a 120 m² detached house with electric heating and a 1,000 m² plot KTI Kiinteistötieto Oy conducted the study on behalf of Omakotiliitto to improve cost transparency for homeowners The electricity prices used in the comparison reflect general electricity contracts from local providers 24% of contracts signed in 2023 were general electricity contracts Advertisement inquiries and other after-sales issues: info@helsinkitimes.fi Helsinki Times is the first and only English language newspaper providing news about Finland in English A weekly print edition of Helsinki Times was published from March 2007 up until Feb Helsinki Times is an online-only publication and other groups and individuals interested in Finland from all around the world © Helsinki Times All rights reserved.  Terms of Use | Privacy Policy and every summer the Finns' love affair with the dance breaks out into the open showing that under their cool North exterior beats a warm the dance offers an opportunity to give free rein to emotions that social mores usually require them to keep in check "Dancing tango gives us space for emotions that we find it hard to express otherwise," said Outi Suoninen her brow beading with sweat after an hour on the dance floor at Tangomarkinnat celebrated its 30th anniversary and attracted 116,000 visitors –- or The climax: crowning the tango "king" and "queen" who become instant superstars in tango-dancing circles "It's about maintaining and strengthening the Finnish tradition of tango," said the festival's artistic director Martti Haapamaeki the festival provides a kick of energy for the entire nation." First-time visitors to Finland are usually surprised to find that tango has a massive following an ocean away from its Argentinian home but to the Finns themselves it makes perfect sense "Tango is an ideal way to approach the opposite sex for a Finn," Haapamaeki said Tango came to Finland in 1913 –- when the country was still a part of the Russian empire –- introduced by Toivo Niskanen a ballet dancer who had warmed to the exotic fad while visiting Paris has departed from its South American origin in ways discernible even to untrained eyes and ears The dance looks different -- the couples pressing themselves closer together than in the Latin version -- and the music has a distinctive local ring to it "Finnish tango is a bit like military music with its striking rhythm whereas Argentine tango is more fluid and gives more opportunities for dancing," said Markku Lindroos Tango in every part of the world is a mixture of joie de vivre and sadness place the emphasis decidedly on the "sad" part Minor keys -- traditionally associated with sorrow -- are used often the melancholy mood reflects the atmosphere during and after World War II when Finland twice fought against the Soviet Union and had to cede large parts of its territory to the numerically superior foe tango helped us come to terms with our grief The loss described in the tango tunes attained a wider meaning," Yrjoe Heinonen a professor of contemporary cultural studies at University of Turku tango has had to compete with other forms of popular music and as it enters its second century in Finland The optimists see little reason for concern noting that the opportunity for physical intimacy is a permanent attraction that will appeal to future generations as well "Today people are always handling electronic devices and all communication is done electronically," said Kaisa Saarinen organizer of the annual Frostbite tango festival in Helsinki an internationally known tango singer who performed in Helsinki in February said he was surprised by the vibrancy of Finland's tango scene "I know Russian tango and German tango," he told AFP "but a tradition as strong as Finnish tango you find nowhere else."