Mannerheimintie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mannerheimintie (Mannerheimvägen in Swedish), named after Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, is the longest and one of the most famous streets in Helsinki, Finland. It was originally named Heikinkatu, after Heikki Rehbinder, but was renamed after the Winter War.

The street starts at Erottaja in the city centre, near the Swedish Theatre and the Stockmann department store. It then continues past the districts of Kamppi, Töölö and Ruskeasuo, until it finally merges into a highway leading outside the city.

Many famous buildings are located at or near Mannerheimintie. Some of them include the theatre and department store mentioned above, the main post office, the Kiasma modern art museum, the Finlandia Hall, the National Museum and the Helsinki Opera House.

Mannerheimintie is the subject of two well-known trick questions about Helsinki:

• Q: Where is Mannerheiminkatu located in Helsinki?
  A: Nowhere. It is named Mannerheimintie. There are streets named Mannerheiminkatu in other Finnish cities, though.
• Q: How many streets run across Mannerheimintie in Helsinki?
  A: One, Nordenskiöldinkatu. All other streets connecting with Mannerheimintie either end at the street or continue across it with a different name.