Hietaniemen hautausmaa - Hietaniemi cemetery

Located on the western edge of the Helsinki peninsula, Hietaniemi Cemetery is the final resting place of many heads of state and other dignitaries and is culturally and historically the most important cemetery, not only in Helsinki but also in the whole of Finland. Established in 1829, this cemetery consists of a number of separate areas all with their own individual characteristics that reflect various periods in the history of Helsinki and Finland. It is divided into 5 sectors which are called Old Cemetery, New Cemetery, Hietaniemi Area, Urn Grove and The Cemetery of the Guard of Finland.

More than 50 nationally and internationally acclaimed Finnish artists and their spouses are interred in a special section at Hietaniemi Old Cemetery, so called Artists' Hill. The first artist buried there was painter Akseli Gallén-Kallela in 1943.

The Heroes' Place, which spreads in front of the Heroes' Cross and the surrounding area with its monuments commemorating fallen soldiers has become the symbol of the nation's unity and history.

The old Hietaniemi chapel is situated by the Mechelininkatu entrance, in the old part of the cemetery, built in 1873 it was designed by architect Theodor Höijer. Nearby there is another building designed by Höijer called the Porter's house, a red-brick building dating back to 1901. Renovated in 2009, the building now serves as a waiting room for family and friends in addition to housing office space for cemetery staff.

The new chapel situated in the Hietaniemi area was designed by architect Albert Nyberg and consecrated in 1933, it has columbarium for urns and was renovated in 1996. The new maintenance building, built in 1967 in the New Cemetery area was designed by architect Erkki Heloma.