Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland Aug 2, 2026

Finland is famous for the northern lights, its high happiness rankings, saunas and thousands of lakes. Helsinki adds history, design and the Baltic Sea to that list. The story begins in 1550, when King Gustav I of Sweden founded a trading town that would become Finland"s capital in 1812. Today, a walk through the city can take you from Senate Square and the white-domed Helsinki Cathedral to the sea fortress of Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible by ferry.

© Miemo Penttinen/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A painters palette of natures hues
Take the trail more travelled by
Aug 2, 2024Virgin Islands National Park, Saint John, United States
Aug 2, 2025Petroglyphs near Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Bright blue lakes and rugged mountains
May 3, 2024The Sonoran Desert, Arizona, US
Oct 28, 2025The Gothic Gate in the Adršpach-Teplice Rocks, Czechia
Dec 18, 2025Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, Karnataka
The butterfly effect
Jan 9, 2026Muir Woods National Monument, California, United States
Misty mountain hop
Mar 19, 2026Short-beaked echidna, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Dec 30, 2023Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, Fukushima, Japan
Mar 26, 2024Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam
Jul 8, 2024Blueberries growing in the wild
Jun 3, 2024Jaswant Thada and Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan
May 5, 2026Tŵr Mawr Lighthouse, Anglesey, Wales
Jun 23, 2025Elbe river in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Apr 19, 2026Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh
Mar 29, 2025Superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California, United States
Sanctuary among the trees
40 years of recovery
Mar 11, 2026Peach trees in Cieza, Murcia, Spain
May 28, 2024The Monastery of Roussanou, Greece
Jan 6, 2026Nuuk, Greenland
Jan 1, 2025Happy New Year!
Zebras enjoying their day
A postcard-perfect landscape
Canoeing in solitude
Sep 8, 2025International Literacy Day
Secluded sands in Mexico
Jan 28, 2025Short-eared owl
Jul 22, 2026Coral Reef Awareness Week
Jul 29, 2026Guru Purnima