The Finnish National Theatre, founded in 1872 in the city of Pori, is a theatre located in the centre of Helsinki on the north side of Helsinki’s Central Railway Station Square. The Finnish National Theatre is the oldest professional Finnish language theatre in Finland. It was known as the Finnish Theatre until 1902, when it was renamed the Finnish National Theatre.
For the first thirty years of its existence, the theatre functioned mainly as a travelling company. It did not acquire a permanent seat until 1902, when a specially designed structure was erected in the heart of Helsinki, near the city’s main metro station. The building that houses the Finnish National Theatre today was completed in 1902 and designed by architect Onni Tarjanne, in a national romantic style inspired by romantic nationalism.
