Helsinki's 'underground city'
In Helsinki, Finland, a massive network of underground bunkers has been carved into the bedrock to shelter the population in an emergency. Some of the spaces are open to public use, with a pool, play areas, sports facilities and more.
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00:00 It takes just half a minute to reach another world, 30 meters beneath the streets of Helsinki.
00:07 A labyrinth of tunnels and bunkers under Helsinki was designed to protect 900,000 people from missile attacks,
00:16 chemical weapons and radiation in the event of war. But that's not all.
00:25 Welcome to one of Helsinki's most popular playgrounds for both children and adults.
00:30 It's a hockey field and a gym, cafeteria and parking lot all in one.
00:35 Some people even celebrate their birthdays here.
00:38 This is daily life for us. We've grown up with having these bomb shelters, so we don't really think about it.
00:46 And Helsinki is filled with its own underground world.
00:53 This bunker in the Hakkaniumi district is one of Finland's largest.
00:57 Two soccer stadiums would fit inside civil defence officer Tomi Rask.
01:04 In the event of war though, the facility can quickly be converted into a fully functioning air raid shelter.
01:14 Normal scenario is that sheltering time is required between some hours and some days.
01:22 On most of our shelters we can make the sheltering period quite much higher,
01:27 but the sheltering period creates different problems.
01:31 One biggest problem is the heat that one person creates.
01:35 I create approximately 100 watts of heat all the time.
01:40 So, is it a problem for 6,000 people to live in a bunker like this in an emergency?
01:47 Not in Helsinki. The bedrock beneath the city is solid granite and nice.
01:52 The bunker was carved into the underground rock and is not only solid, but also cool.
01:58 In the event of war, the large halls can be converted into smaller rooms if needed.
02:04 So, thousands of people can live down here for longer periods, much as they would above ground.
02:13 There will be people dying, there will be people birthing, there will be sick people,
02:18 there will be glad people, there will be sad people.
02:21 Every function as a normal society happens within the shelters.
02:26 Finland shares a border with Russia, over 1,300 kilometres long.
02:33 For a long time it refused to join NATO, but not anymore.
02:38 The war in Ukraine changed that. The EU member has now also been a NATO member for six months.
02:44 The majority of Finns call for more protection and greater security.
02:49 I would say that Finnish people have a relatively stoic attitude to the situation.
02:54 We know that there is this risk always.
02:57 It has been there since Finland got its independence.
03:01 It realised in the Second World War when Russia tried to invade Finland.
03:04 It could happen someday also. We know about that, but it's not something we actively fear.
03:11 It's not something we think about in our everyday life.
03:14 Yet memories have been reawakened of what is known as the Winter War,
03:19 when Finland fought against the Soviet Union from 1939 to 1940.
03:23 Finland emerged from the conflict with its sovereignty intact,
03:27 but paid a high price in casualties and territory.
03:32 The Peace Accord, known as the Treaty of Moscow,
03:35 marks a dark chapter in relations between the two countries.
03:39 This monument in central Helsinki commemorates the sacrifices of the Winter War.
03:50 During the conflict, Finland passed its first civil defence law.
03:54 Even today, all public buildings and private buildings over a certain size
03:58 must have a shelter, as does the metro system.
04:02 In total, Helsinki has more than 5,000 air raid shelters with rooms for almost a million people.
04:09 We do our work hoping that it will never be used.
04:17 But still we need to do it.
04:19 History has shown us that it is possible, and when something is possible, it might happen.
04:28 And the people of Helsinki want to be prepared, and protected,
04:32 30 metres deep in the bunkers beneath their capital.
04:36 [Music]