Walk Engel's Boulevard to the Plague Cemetery

Old Church Park started as a plague burial ground in 1710 — when the epidemic killed two-thirds of Helsinki's population. The plague dead are still underfoot. Walk south through Sinebrychoff Park, where brewery ruins from 1819 mark Finland's oldest brewery family (the park beer garden still serves their brand). End at Hietalahti flea market, where vintage Finnish glass and Soviet-era curiosities sprawl across the cobblestones every summer weekend.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Walk Over the Plague Dead in Old Church Park History · Free

   Start at Old Church Park (Vanha kirkkopuisto) on Bulevardi. This peaceful green space was Helsinki's plague cemetery in 1710, when the epidemic killed roughly two-thirds of the city's population — about 1,185 people. The plague dead were buried in mass graves right where the park benches now sit. Find the wooden Old Church (1826) in the centre of the park — it was built as a temporary church but has lasted 200 years. The cemetery headstones around it are from the 1800s, but the plague dead below are unmarked and a century older. Read the oldest headstone you can find.

   Backup: The park is always open. If the church is locked (services only), the exterior and graveyard are the main attraction.

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2. 2 Find the 1819 Brewery Ruins in Sinebrychoff Park History · Free

   Walk south from Old Church Park for 10 minutes to Sinebrychoff Park (Hietaniemenkatu). The park was once the grounds of Finland's oldest brewery, founded by Russian merchant Nikolai Sinebrychoff in 1819. The brewery ruins — stone foundations and walls — are still visible near the park's northern edge. The Sinebrychoff brand (now called 'Koff') still brews beer today, making this one of the world's longest continuously produced brands. Find the brewery ruins, then sit in the beer garden that operates in summer on the same grounds.

   Backup: If ruins are hard to spot (overgrown in summer), the Sinebrychoff Art Museum next door has free admission on the first Friday of every month and tells the family's story.

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3. 3 Hunt Vintage Finnish Glass at Hietalahti Flea Market Adventure · Price: low · Optional

   Continue south to Hietalahti Market Square (Hietalahden tori). The outdoor flea market runs on summer weekends (May-September, Saturday-Sunday) — one of Helsinki's best for vintage Iittala and Arabia ceramics at fraction of retail prices. Serious collectors arrive before 10 AM. Look for Kaj Franck's Kartio glasses (1950s, usually EUR 5-15 each) and Oiva Toikka glass birds. Soviet-era curiosities from the eastern border trade also appear regularly. The adjacent Hietalahti Market Hall (1903) has food stalls year-round.

   Backup: If visiting on a weekday or winter, the indoor market hall is open daily. Flea Market Helsinki (Bulevardi 6) is a permanent indoor alternative.

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