Helsinki is one of the world's most northerly capitals, but it is by no means a
city frozen in northern wastes. Situated along the southern shore of the Gulf of
Finland, magnificent lakes and forests reach into Helsinki's urban heart. The
Finnish capital offers a spectacular display of architecture and design: from
the neoclassical magnificence imposed by a Russian Czar to the modernist chic of
Nordic functionalism. Neil Kent explores the history and culture of the
"Daughter of the Baltic," a small fishing village that became a powerhouse of
design and technology. Through such differing cultural phenomena as saunas,
railway stations and tango, he explains why Helsinki