FUNCTIONALISM... - INTRODUCTION

I N T R O

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Historical background | The new movement | Uncertain future

The City of Viipuri was, even by its very history, a suitable and expected place for the widespread application of the new Modernist architecture that was emerging in the wake of the so far dominating 1920s Nordic Classicism.

Viipuri (or Vyborg, the Russian name, which is perhaps internationally better known) had been from its beginnings not only a vivid trading center, but also an international and "cosmopolitan" city. As a border garrison between the regularly hostile Sweden and Russia, this Finnish city got influences both from the east and the west and the trading-minded Karelians (along with the considerable influx of Russian, German and Swedish merchants) turned Viipuri into one of the most important cities in the nation, and not only defensively.

By the end of the 18th Century, when most cities in Finland usually had only a few stone-built buildings, the Old Town of Viipuri was, exceptionally, mostly built in stone, partly due to several fires, like the one in 1793, that had led to stricter regulations and rebuilding in stone. When the Second World War broke out, Viipuri was the second largest city in Finland (albeit only due to the annexation of suburbs, something that was done in Turku only after the war, and then it beat Viipuri hands down...), with the busiest export harbour and perhaps the liveliest commercial activity in the country.

THE NEW MOVEMENT

Against this background, the adoption of the new architectural language to many of the public and corporate projects that began in the late-1920s was not surprising. The progressive spirit and international atmosphere in the city encouraged also internationally advanced construction, both architecturally and technologically.

The term "functionalism" was derived from the notion of the Modernist movement following the functional demands and needs of man, in the spirit of the statement "form follows function". Although originating from the (Mid-)European mixture of terms all basically referring to Modernism, the term has been especially well rooted to the languages of Scandinavian countries and Finland (which, strictly taken, is not part of geographical Scandinavia), where "funkis" primarily refers to the white-stuccoed, more or less geometrical architecture that exemplified the 1930s Scandinavian Modernism.

Although there are a number of better-known Functionalist buildings in Finland, with more devout "following" (with the exception of the Viipuri Municipal Library by Alvar Aalto, undoubtedly the best-known of all Finnish architects), like the Paimio Sanatorium or the Turun Sanomat Building, the concentration of so many notable Modernist buildings in a city within the timespan of a decade, showing the transformation from Classicism to "full" Functionalism was quite unique in Finland.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

"Was unique", because as the Second World War swept over Europe, also Viipuri suffered during it, and although the Functionalist buildings survived the war rather well, the whole of Karelia, along with it Viipuri, was lost to the Soviet Union. Subsequently the deserted Karelia was inhabited with refugees from Belorussia and although the new residents and the governing bodies have worked in good faith when repairing the buildings in Viipuri, the "renovations" have often only postponed the inevitable -- or even made things worse, especially in the Old Town, where many historically notable buildings were torn down.

Despite that much of the architecture in Viipuri is now in a sorry state and in need of urgent repairs (the international efforts to save the library being one of the more positive undertakings), one must not forget the fact that with the pre-war residents of Viipuri being maybe the most business-driven in the country, the changes that have taken place in other cities in Finland -- demolitioning of old and constructing of new, in a different style -- would have occurred at least with a similar fervour in Viipuri too. Thus, should Viipuri have remained a Finnish city, many of the scenes -- especially outside the Old Town (or like the official district name went, Linnoitus, meaning "fortress") conservation area -- that the refuged Karelians still cherish in their minds would by now have definitely been destroyed by the unscrupulous builders, despite opposition...

PERSONAL NOTES

This study was the culmination of a old idea that may be traced back to the days during my archi studies when I got immersed by the notion of Functionalism and when I prepared (for my own use) a summary of the introduction and presentation of Functionalism in Finland. The spark for presenting Functionalism in Viipuri in particular must have however come from the "subconscious", as I had as a kid often browsed through the Viipuri picture books by Saivo and Sandberg & Viherjuuri that were "relicts" in our Karelian exile home. As a counterpoint to the city's historical architecture, the clear-cut, bold white Functionalism must have left its mark even at that age, as later the idea of studying the appearances of Functionalism in Viipuri immediately struck as the way to go.

The images on this study a from these two abovementioned books and have been credited accordingly. There are yet no images about the present state of the buildings (except for links to images of the Municipal Library), but I'm thinking about personally visiting the city sometime in the future (for the first time ;^)) to bring back some footage. The horrible condition of the buildings (in proper Soviet style) and the off-limits status of some of the buildings may of course reduce the sensibleness of the undertaking, but time will tell...

E.D. - 2 Feb 2000

ENTRANCE INTRODUCTION THE ARCHITECTS

THE TRANSFORMATION: THE CLASSICISM

THE WHITE ERA: THE PRE-WAR YEARS

THE AFTERMATH: THE SOVIET ERA

LOCATION MAP OF THE BUILDINGS STUDY SOURCES