The Aleksis Kivi Memorial ( Finnish : Aleksis Kiven muistopatsas ) is a statue dedicated to the Finnish author Aleksis Kivi (1834–1872), designed and sculpted by Wäinö Aaltonen .
5-606: Unveiled on 10 October 1939, the bronze statue is located in the Helsinki Railway Square , in front of the Finnish National Theatre . The statue, along with most of Helsinki's public artwork, is owned and maintained by the Helsinki Art Museum . The sculpture was originally chosen through a contest; Aaltonen's submission was originally a more abstract cubist piece, but the selection committee chose him with
10-417: A barren land? All here is vain, the strife the struggle vain the world's wide wholeness, vain! No heav'nly joy want I, no Gehennan midnight, no maid e'er again in my arms shall I take. My lot, be it e'er only: away from the aches of knowing, let all be the voiceless void. Helsinki Railway Square Helsinki Railway Square ( Finnish : Rautatientori , Swedish : Järnvägstorget )
15-688: Is an open square immediately to the east of the Helsinki Central railway station in central Helsinki in Finland. The square serves as Helsinki's secondary bus station along with the main Kamppi Center bus station. The north side features the Finnish National Theatre , and the south side is formed of the Ateneum classical art museum (part of the Finnish National Gallery ). To the west side are
20-787: The caveat that he would redesign the statue to be more realistic in appearance. The memorial depicts a complentative (even melancholic) Kivi sitting in a chair. On the chair are reliefs inspired by three of Kivi's works: Sydämeni laulu , Keinu and Seitsemän veljestä pakenee Impivaarasta . The back of the chair features two stanzas from his poem, Ikävyys ("Melancholy"): Mi ikävyys, mi hämäryys sieluni ympär kuin syksy-iltainen autiol maal? Turha vaiva täällä, turha ompi taistelo ja kaikkisuus maailman, turha! En taivasta mä tahdo, en yötä Gehennan, enp' enään neitosta syliini suo. Osani vain olkoon: tietämisen tuskast pois. kaik' äänetön tyhjyys olkoon. What dreadness dear, what gloaming gloom looms round my soul like an autumn's eve in
25-535: The two ornate entrances to Helsinki Central station—a bigger one for public use, and a smaller one exclusively for the President of Finland and their official guests. The square is served by the Helsinki Metro system with Rautatientori metro station entrances at the south-west corner, and University of Helsinki metro station to the east. During summer afternoons and evenings, the pub tram Spårakoff departs from
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