Finlandia Hall to the UNESCO World Heritage List – “Helsinki now has everything it takes to become a design destination, but it requires cooperation”

Finlandia Hall has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Aalto Works architectural series. Of the thirteen sites, five are located in Helsinki, and Finlandia Hall offers the public the most extensive and impressive experience among them. According to Finlandia Hall’s CEO, Helsinki now has everything it takes to become an international design destination, but this requires an ambitious vision and broad cooperation.

Finlandia Hall has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Aalto Works architectural series. The decision was made on Sunday, 26th July 2026 at the meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. The decision followed the June recommendation of ICOMOS, the Committee’s advisory body.

The Aalto Works series of 13 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List is unique from both a national and an international perspective. Five of the sites are located in Helsinki, and Finlandia Hall offers the public the most extensive and impressive experience among them. It is an excellent way to get acquainted with the entire life’s work of the Aaltos.

World Heritage status can be regarded as a kind of international hallmark of quality in architecture and cultural tourism. Finlandia Hall’s CEO Johanna Tolonen is confident that the number of design and architecture tourists visiting the building will increase. However, she hopes that positioning Helsinki as an international design destination will become a shared goal for both the City of Helsinki and all museum, hotel and tourism operators.

“The world’s most attractive cities consciously build their identity, make their destinations experiential, and tie them firmly into the living city. Helsinki now has, if nothing else, everything it takes to do the same, if we jointly decide to aim for it. The world is becoming ever more “glocal”, meaning that when local strengths are combined with global opportunities,” you can go a long way, Tolonen says.

Daniel Sazonov, Mayor of Helsinki, also emphasises that the five sites of the series located in Helsinki are an important part of the city’s architectural and cultural heritage.

“The inscription of the Aalto Works series on the UNESCO World Heritage List is a wonderful and significant international recognition of Finnish architecture. The five sites located in Helsinki are an important part of our city’s architectural and cultural heritage. World Heritage status brings new visibility and international interest to these sites and reminds us Helsinki residents of our beautiful and architecturally rich home city,” says Daniel Sazonov, Mayor of Helsinki.

Event venues bring life to cities

At AIPC’s (International Association of Convention Centres) global congress held in Bilbao in July, several examples were presented of how cities have built their profile through experiential event venues. According to Tolonen, major congresses, concerts, trade fairs and impressive exhibitions bring life, wellbeing, and economic and social impact to the surrounding city. They increase the city’s appeal and vitality and generate significant revenue streams.

“Finlandia Hall has been the most internationally awarded venue in Helsinki in recent years: it has been named, among other things, the best congress venue in the world and has received recognition from, among others, Wallpaper, Monocle, Prix Versailles and now UNESCO. But individual sites alone cannot elevate a city into an international design destination. That’s why different players need to join forces,” Tolonen says.

A gateway to other Aalto sites

In August, a pop-up point for Helsinki tourist information will operate at Finlandia Hall, offering not only the city’s tourist information but also information on the sites of the Aalto Works series. The best place to start touring the other Helsinki Aalto Works sites is Finlandia Hall. The building’s major Visions of Alvar Aalto exhibition and guided building tours comprehensively explain why Aalto’s architecture is such an important part of world heritage.

In its June assessment, ICOMOS, the World Heritage Committee’s advisory body, stated that the Aalto Works series is a significant example of how the ideas of international modernism were combined with local building traditions, the environment, and human-centred design. The series is considered to have influenced the development of modern architecture outside Finland as well.

Contact for further information:

Johanna Tolonen, CEO, Finlandia Hall, +358405513168, johanna.tolonen@finlandiatalo.fi

Finlandia Hall is the world’s leading venue for congresses, events and culture in the heart of Helsinki. The building combines architecture, design, functionality and atmosphere in a unique way. In addition to event operations, the renovated Finlandia Hall’s service offering includes accommodation, a wine café with terraces, a design shop, a bistro restaurant, and an experiential permanent exhibition on the life’s work of Alvar, Aino and Elissa Aalto and on Finnishness.