Esplanade Park is located between two streets, North and South Esplanades. It was Engel who included this park in the city's development plan as early as 1812, and it was he who gave the Espa, as the locals call this green island, the kind of the elegance that has made it not only a place of recreation, but also a city landmark.
At the beginning of the park is Cappelli's Restaurant, built in 1867 and has been rebuilt several times. In the summertime there are daily performances on the open-air stage. performances are held daily on the open-air stage.
In the centre of Esplanade Park there is a sculpture of the national poet of Finland, J.L. Runeberg, the author of the national anthem, is sculpted in the centre of Esplanade Park by the poet's son Walter Runeberg. Walter Runeberg. The monument was unveiled in 1885, ten years after the poet's death. years after the poet's death.
At the eastern end of Esplanade Park is a fountain decorated with a bronze figure of a girl. When in 1908, at the opening of the fountain, the covers fell off the girl's coverings, the good citizens of Helsinki were shocked. Now the nude Havis Amanda (Swedish for "sea nymph"), a work of sculptor Ville Valgrena. sculptor Ville Wahlgren, is now an ornament in the park and no longer embarrasses anyone.
